SANDAKAN – It was nearly a decade ago that Nur Aishah Rofina Aling was faced with disappointment after being overlooked for a spot at a sports school.
Speaking to Scoop, the 24-year-old sprinter from Sandakan said she grappled with the belief that she might not be talented enough to thrive in Sabah’s competitive sprinting landscape.
“(Back then), I wasn’t chosen by talent scouts for a sports school in Sabah, Sekolah Sukan Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, because I was not one of the best. But I decided to continue training and see how it goes.
“Luckily, my performance improved over time until I got to compete in bigger sports arenas alongside athletes from sports schools nationwide.
“But when I got to compete alongside students from sports schools, my mentality was very different then. I thought to myself, hey, I am just as good as athletes from sports schools now and I felt relieved that I never gave up and never stopped training.
“I could excel just like them even though I study in a regular school, so I felt special and I felt stronger,” she told Scoop in an exclusive interview.
Nur Aishah’s breakthrough on the national and international stage began when she clinched gold and silver medals in the 4x100m and 200m events, respectively, at the Asean University Games.
Her impressive performances in the 4x100m continued with a bronze at the SEA Games in Cambodia, gold at the Singapore Open and silver at the Jabar Open in Indonesia, where she recorded her personal best of 11.90sec in the 100m.
Expressing her desire to be a source of inspiration for those confronting similar hurdles, Nur Aishah emphasised that her journey in the sport truly began blossoming at the age of 16.
It was a year after she commenced her intensive training under the expert guidance of her coach, Jumain Taepe, which set her apart from her peers at school.
She devoted three hours daily from Monday to Friday and six hours on Saturdays to her training.
Despite missing out on typical social activities, Nur Aishah credits her coach’s unwavering belief in year-round training as a key factor in her success.
“What is different with this coach is that he does not believe in seasonal training.
“I see others only train before a certain competition, but coach Jumain would have us train non-stop throughout the year. I have never stopped training for nine years now.
“I see that my friends would be hanging out at cafes and restaurants on a Saturday, and I would not be able to join.
“I also cannot join because I have to be strict with my diet,” she said, adding that Jumain was the biggest contributor to her success.
Looking ahead, Nur Aishah, a recent graduate in sports science from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, aspires to be the fastest woman in Malaysia, setting her sights on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Jumain, recognised as a Sports Teacher Icon and Best Sports Coach by the Sabah Education Department, along with having won the Sabah Best Sports Coach award, has been pivotal in Nur Aishah’s journey.
He revealed his use of cutting-edge software to analyse and enhance her performance, focusing on step frequency, leg rotation, take-off and touch-down times, and acceleration.
“I use this to adjust her skills and the little details to help her improve her speed.
“So far we see a slight improvement, and I hope to continue helping Nur Aishah through this method that I have been exploring,” said the 58-year-old coach.
While Jumain acknowledged that his expertise in utilising the software was self-taught, he expressed optimism that the Sabah Sports Council would lend support to coaches, like himself, by offering software courses and providing access to state-of-the-art technology.
This, he believes, would enhance their ability to assist athletes in the state more effectively. – December 31, 2023
