SIBU: Young archer Desmond Ho Liang Hong is worried that his dream to represent Sarawak in next year’s Johor Sukma may be shattered if the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage on.
On top of that he is already struggling to strike a balance between his academic studies and sporting interest.
“I am not sure of whether I will still be keen to eye for a slot in Johor Sukma if the prolonged health crisis continues unabated,” he said.
The 17-year-old Form Five student of SMK Tiong HIn opined that there is no guarantee that the Johor Sukma could be held in March 2022, especially when the infection cases of Covid-19 in the country persist in hitting four-digits daily.
“So for the moment, studies need to come first. I am just an average student and there is a lot of catching up to do if I am to excel in my studies and my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations this year,” he said.
Desmond, who is aiming to be the first archer from Sibu to qualify for Sukma, shot to stardom when he nailed two gold medals in the Men’s Open and U-15 category at the 14th Sarawak Open Indoor Archery Championship held in Kapit in 2018 and when he was just a 14-year-old rookie.
The following year the recurve bow archer won the team gold in partnership with Alvin Tan and Cecil Nathaniel at the MSSM National Schools Championship in Penang.
Last year, he secured two gold and two silver medals at the State Inter- Division Schools Championship in Bintulu before the country entered the entered the first phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18.
During the MCO, Desmond was confined to his home where he continued fitness and strength training on his own based on the programme given by his personal coach Eric Tiong, who is also Sibu Division Archery Association (Pemasa Sibu) secretary.
He was looking forward to the Sarawak Indoor Archery Championship and Sarawak Sports Corporation Excellence (SSC) Centre for Archery Competition, both scheduled for last December in Miri.
The SSC tournament was planned as a platform to shortlist state archers for Sukma. Unfortunately, both events were called off after the Johor Sukma was postponed to 2022.
Desmond is struggling to regain the drive and energy to fight for a slot in state squad for Johor 2022 under the prevailing circumstances.
“Nobody knows when the situation will recover.
“It may need to take at least six months or even longer and during these periods, there will not be any competitions,” he laments.
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