Olympic wisdom: New Zealand’s secret weapon for World Cup success

One of Malaysia’s greatest athletes could prove to be New Zealand’s ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup inspiration after a visit ahead of the tournament.

Tournament ambassador Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, a seven-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and Tokyo 2020 Olympic gymnast, caught up with the team during their media content day in the build-up to the tournament.

Mingling with New Zealand’s future stars, the recently-retired Farah imparted the knowledge gained on her journey in elite sport, before opening up the floor for a Q&A.

“I think it's such a wonderful opportunity to be here,” Farah Ann told the ICC.

“Watching them compete is such an honour.

“All the girls have done everything they can until this point. This is their time to show everyone who they are, who they represent, and just to do their very best.”

“Watching them compete is such an honour.

“All the girls have done everything they can until this point. This is their time to show everyone who they are, who they represent, and just to do their very best.”

Enjoying a decorated career, where she became just the third Malaysian gymnast to qualify for an Olympic Games, Farah Ann stressed that the biggest drivers of progress as an athlete and as a person came through dealing with injuries, failure and defeat.

At the Rio 2016 test event, a qualifier for the 2016 Games, Farah Ann fell agonisingly short of an Olympic spot. The then 21-year-old scored a total of 49.132 points in the four apparatus in the all-around competition, a heartbreaking 0.568 points short of qualification.

“(Failure) is always a learning point.

“I've always learned so much from not getting the medals or not being able to qualify for things. I've learned so much about my own strength to be able to pick myself up when I feel my heart shatter and I've grown so much stronger because of that.

“And I always think that at the moment it's a horrible feeling. But when I know that I can pick myself back up, I know that I can do anything in the future.

Farah Ann admitted she contemplated retirement after career disappointment, though through the perspective of a support group around her and a continued perseverance, her Olympic dreams were realised via the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart.

“When I was 17, I was thinking of quitting. I went for my first World Championships in Tokyo, and I bombed in the competition.

I did so badly and I was just like, ‘I'm done’ because I've been training for so long, and it didn't work out.

“I actually had a call with my sister and she said: ‘Are you going to quit because you don't think that you're good enough or just because you're sad now?’

“I’d been training so long and I trained 30 hours a week. I trained Monday to Saturday.

“And I went back and I just thought to myself: ‘If I stop now, I would be very disappointed in myself.’

“So that really pushed me for it. And ten years later I got to the Olympic Games.”

The nerves remained for Farah Ann, though the experience and lessons from the past proved invaluable for her progress.

“I think that I always say that if you're nervous before a competition, that means you're excited. So I'm very kind to the nervous energy, to be able to use that as power.

“And I think that it's always good to be that tuned in to the nervousness. Have elephants in your stomach but use that and to go out there and just do your very best. It just tells me that I'm very excited about something.”

Taking in the lessons, New Zealand captain Tash Wakelin was full of gratitude on behalf of her team.

“It was really cool hearing her thoughts on how she went about her career and a few things we could take away going into the future.

“She's a top sporting athlete, so I was honored to meet her. All the girls were really excited.

“Some key takeaways we grabbed from her was we just can't worry about the past, just focus on the future, always looking forward to the next best thing.

“She gave us some really good advice on overcoming adversity and any challenges and setbacks and just to keep following our goals and always trying our best.”

Turning her attention to the 16 teams at the upcoming tournament, Farah Ann urged the players to soak up all the moments across the journey.

“Take every single moment to take in all the training sessions, all the competition, even in the hotel room, (with) your roommates, that chat with each other.

“I think that all of this is very important for the whole experience.

“I just want to wish them all the best and good luck."

There could well be more in common between Farah Ann and the players at the upcoming tournament three years from now, with cricket set for its reintroduction at the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Farah describes the competition as the “pinnacle” of her career, a feeling that no doubt will be matched by those lucky enough to compete for medals in cricket in 2028.

“I think that it really says a lot that they are now included in the Olympics.

“To have everyone from all over the world to watch it, to understand, to cheer for their teams, to be able to participate in it, I think that is such a wonderful thing.

“For me it was the pinnacle of my career, but it was also the moment where everyone that was supporting me throughout my entire life. So my family, my friends, my coaches. Every single person that has helped me get to where I am, that was my way of saying thank you.

“And to say that all of our outlook has now paid off since going there, and it really is kind of a stamp of pride to be like, ‘Yeah, I put in all the work, all the effort, and now I'm able to be here’ and it's just the most wonderful experience.

The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup begins on January 18.