THE 2008 Beijing Olympics is over and the only trophy we have to show to the world is a silver medal in badminton.

It may not be much but it is something we should, and must, be proud of.

What we must tell our children and grandchildren is that one can never achieve anything without making some sacrifices.

What Lee Chong Wei and Misbun Sidek did was not just for themselves, but for all Malaysians.

The world may not talk so much about a silver medal winner but whenever they talk about gold, they would be sure to talk about silver medal winners and, then of course, of Malaysia.

Nowadays, sporting heroes are not that easy to come by. There are so many things to put together that it is almost impossible to do it all alone.

Just look at how long it took for Chong Wei to get where he is now.

If an individual were to try it all by himself, he would be down and out in the blink of an eye.

In that sense, we must not forget the people behind this success.

In fact, there is one person who stands out as the man behind Chong Wei’s success and that is none other than Misbun Sidek.

Misbun has an uncanny ability to spot a winner.

He first saw Chong Wei a few years back and took him under his wing to train, nurture and bring out his true potential.

Misbun’s sacrifices and all the dedication that he put into training Chong Wei paid off when Chong Wei took the silver medal.

Although Chong Wei was the winner of the medal, the real winner here is none other than Misbun.

He did what no other trainer has done in the past, and that is to fully believe in and trust his charge.

So, as Chong Wei is getting all the accolades and the rewards, we must also ensure the same for Misbun.

Lest we forget, please reward the man who made it possible for Malaysia to win a silver medal in Beijing Olympics 2008.

MOHD GHAZALI OSMAN, Ipoh

Source: NST – August 25, 2008