Chew Chan ready to beat the tide

CHE Chew Chan is not a distant relative of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, but she possesses his steely grit, and many
of her taekwondo opponents will vouch for that.

Both the Ches have one thing in common though — revolution.

“I will be fighting for the sport, not myself in Beijing. A medal from me will help revolutionise the sport in Malaysia,” was her response just before she left for a one-month training stint in South Korea.

Born in Pontian, Johor, she had her doubts about taekwondo and was contemplating playing basketball, but was persuaded by her school coach Koh Keng Kiang to continue as he saw potential in her.

“And the silver medal I won at the Asian Championships in May in Zheng Zhou, China, was the sweetest of rewards,” said Chew Chan.

“My one month stint in Korea is going to be tough, but I hope it will help me kick out the butterflies in my stomach during competition, and I will return from Beijing with a medal.” Chew Chan has broken her jinx in theAsian Championships, as she lost in the first round of the 2006 edition. She was also a first round casualty in the Goodluck Beijing tournament earlier this year, but that is history.

“I am better prepared now, and although the competition in Beijing will not be easy, I have as good a chance as the next exponent to lay my hands on a medal.” She will not be thinking much about her opponents in Korea, where she is training to become mentally strong.

“The skills and physical strength are there, now I will concentrate on mental strength, because that is what separates losers from winners.

“I will also have to be cautious not to pick up an injury, as I do not want to waste the golden opportunity of competing in my first Olympics.” And she is also delighted with the RM1 million cash offer for a gold medal, and the pension that comes with it.

“Life will be set!,” she giggled like a teenager when asked about the cash incentive.

“But seriously, it is a huge boost for any athlete in the lead-up to the Games. All of us want to return from the Olympics with a medal, and now we have an extra reason, which will make our lives cushier,” said Chew Chan.

Winning gold might be tough though as China’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Chen Zhong is in her category but Chew Chan is one gritty personality and,who knows, Beijing might well be where she really shows her stuff.

NST