AUG 22 — "I have dreamt many times about how great a feeling it would be to stand on the podium” - Ms Goh Liu Ying (badminton)

"Aim big and work hard” - Azizulhasni Awang (cycling)

"I tried my best... He was well prepared...” - Datuk Lee Chong Wei (DLCW - badminton)

Entrepreneurs will be nodding their heads in concurrence to the above statements. So will people who have excelled in their respective fields. Liu Ying and Azizulhasni won medals at the Rio Olympics by dreaming and working hard. DLCW did his best.

How many of us "Anak-Anak Malaysia” have dreams and those attributes and try to emulate them? They brought cheers and a medal each back to our beloved country. So did Chan Peng Soon (Liu Ying’s partner), Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong with their superb efforts in diving and Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong.

They are our success stories today and hopefully for many more years to come.

We have despaired for far too long and they have brought hope to us. We used to be ‘Malaysia Boleh’ and ‘Malaysia Bagus’ but somehow we drifted. They have showed us and told us how to be and do better and be among the best in the world.

Can we take up the challenge? Can we be world-class in other sports and other disciplines as diverse as banking and industries? We have Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz and we have Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

Besides the medals, with only one hand DLCW, Peng Soon - Liu Ying, V Shem - Wee Kiong unite all Malaysians. With only a pair of legs, Azizulhasni arouse patriotic fervour.

Though she is podium-topping in an Olympic Games, Liu Ying’s humility is exemplary. She said "I don’t have the remarkable achievements of the Chinese, the steady performance of the Koreans. I did not have the tactical strategy of the Europeans or the experience of the Indonesian team. I am just Goh” - an exemplary Malaysian.

Can we reproduce or find and nurture more of these kind of Anak-Anak Malaysia who will triumph through perseverance?

To those in positions and decision makers, please act accordingly. Please dream but not like ‘Mat Jenin’ - too much daydreaming. Give your best and keep the momentum going for the sake of our future.

As the curtains draw to a close in Rio de Janiero, we will be celebrating a big and historic day.

Selamat Hari Merdeka.

Thank you very much Malaysian Olympians.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.