Aisyah, Juni eager to perform well at Tokyo Olympics

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 -- It feels awkward but that is the fact that must be accepted by two female national sailing athletes who could not kiss their parents' hands before leaving for Tokyo tomorrow to carry Malaysia's hopes at the Olympic Games which starts on July 23.

This is because the youngest representative of the sailing team to the Tokyo Olympics, Juni Karimah Noor Jamali, and teammate Nuraisyah Jamil who will compete in the International 470 women's event need to be in the sports bubble ahead of the prestigious games.

However, Juni Karimah still managed to get the blessings from her family at the National Yacht Training Centre in Langkawi island before undergoing quarantine at the Malaysian Paralympic Sports Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan starting last Sunday.

As her family lives in Langkawi, Juni Karimah said she met her parents Nuris Fawati Ismail and Noor Jamali Mohd Noh at the training centre, over a fence in compliance with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs).

"We were training in the sports bubble, so my mother came, we met near the fence only and I asked her to pray for me so that I can do my best," she said when contacted by Bernama today.

Nuraisyah, however, last met her family and parents, Samsiah Ismail and Jamil Sahri, in December last year.

She said when she missed her family, she often made phone and video calls to them in Johor to get words of encouragement to perform well at the Olympics.

“My parents really supported me from the beginning when I entered the sport of sailing. Before the MCO (Movement Control Order), whenever there was an international sport, they would come from Johor to send me to the airport.

"We can't go back and have to be quarantined; we can't meet outsiders, so we have to take care of ourselves. If we are infected with COVID-19 there will be problems. The family understands why we can't meet, because we have our own responsibilities as well," said Nuraisyah, who will be the ‘helm’.

Meanwhile, Juni Karimah, who will be the crew, said the national sailing squad had taken a COVID-19 swab test every day since arriving in Kampung Pandan and would leave for Tokyo from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6 am tomorrow.

Nuraisyah said that she is excited to compete at the Olympic Games as it is her first appearance while Juni Karimah is excited to gain new experience.

The duo booked a slot to the Tokyo Olympics when they finished ahead of Singapore and Thailand at fifth place at the 2019 Asian Cup held in Shenzhen, China.

-- BERNAMA