The young athlete from Kuta, Bali, not only succeeded in winning a silver medal in the Women's Street event which took place at the Extreme Sport Park Rajamangala, Bangkok, Thailand, on December 14. However, her striking appearance with blonde hair and white skin typical of Europeans also attracted attention.
The young athlete, known as Mala, recounted her struggle to win a silver medal at the SEA Games when met at Kuta Beach Skatepark in Badung, Bali, on Sunday (December 22nd). In the final, Mala successfully executed a 5-0 trick, a feat she had never attempted before. Thanks to her courage and encouragement from her father, the trick ultimately earned her a silver medal.
"It was a new trick. I'd never even tried it before the SEA Games. When I got there, my dad said, 'Come on, you can do Five-0 .' I tried it once, and it worked. I ended up using it in a compeetition and got a pretty good score," Malana recalled.
However, the 13-year-old had to settle for a total of 125.42 points. He noted that it was difficult to compete against young home athlete Chunkao Udomphen and Thai Olympian Vareeraya Sukasem.
"Yes, my opponents were quite difficult. The gold medalist was also very skilled, and she was only 10 years old. Furthermore, my opponents had competed in the Olympics, which made it even more challenging," Mala said.
To overcome her nerves, Mala reassures herself and manages her emotions to remain calm. Furthermore, to enhance her performance, Mala listens to music before matches to help her relax.
"Because if I'm nervous, my score won't be good. My run won't be good. But if I'm mentally strong and not nervous , I can get a good score," Mala said, speaking in her distinctive Indonesian and English accent.
Although his main target was a gold medal, Malana admitted he was proud of finishing second, considering this was his first experience at the biggest sporting event in Southeast Asia.
Thought to be naturalized
Who would have thought, behind his Caucasian facade , the 13-year-old teenager actually inherited Balinese blood from his maternal grandmother and Sulawesi blood from his paternal grandfather.
