KUALA LUMPUR: Jonathan Yaw sat transfixed in front of the television as he watched the recently concluded Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, and wondered what might have been.
Hailing from the tropical shores of Miri in Sarawak, Yaw is an unlikely winter sports athlete. He could have become the fourth Malaysian to compete at the Winter Olympics – and the first in skeleton – in Milano Cortina.
Malaysians who have competed at the Winter Olympics are Alpine skiers Jeffrey Webb and Aruwin Salehhuddin, and figure skater Julian Yee.
“After all the grief I was dealing with, I didn’t think I would be able to tune into the Winter Olympics. But I just wanted to cheer on my friends who were at the opening ceremony,” said Yaw, the second of five brothers.
“It was such a bittersweet moment. I was genuinely happy for my friends, but at the back of my mind, I was still disappointed that I had come so close to being there myself.”
Skeleton is one of the oldest winter sliding sports. Athletes hurtle down an icy track face down at high speed. Yaw missed qualifying for Milano Cortina by just one spot.
He finished on the podium twice in 11 events held across four tracks – Whistler in Canada, Park City and Lake Placid in the United States, and Pyeongchang in South Korea. Olympic qualification was based on each athlete’s best seven results.
After 11 races, he was ranked 17th – two places outside the automatic qualification spots. Following a quota reallocation, he was promoted to 16th. Only the top 15 qualified for the Winter Games.
Yaw took up skeleton six years ago when the Pyeongchang 2018 Legacy Foundation launched a programme to introduce sliding sports to Southeast Asian countries.
The South Korean organisation was established in March 2019 to manage the long-term legacy of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Yaw said there were several races where a marginal improvement could have changed everything.
“In our sport, a hundredth of a second can be the difference between going to the Olympics or not. In one of my races, if I had crossed the finish line just 0.06 seconds faster, Malaysia would have made history in sliding sports,” he said.
“This is the nature of our sport – stressful yet exciting. Despite that, I can genuinely say that I put every single drop of energy and effort into my races, and that’s all I can ask of myself.”
Yaw plans to take a short break to spend time with his family before refocusing on qualifying for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
Yaw described the experience as an eye-opener, especially in understanding how challenging Olympic qualification can be.
“Some sports allocate quota spots for around 80 countries, while others like skeleton only have spots for 15 nations. That makes it incredibly difficult for less-established countries like Malaysia to qualify. So even though it may not feel like it, finishing just one place short is an achievement in itself,” he said.
“I’m still learning to process it, even a few weeks after finding out I didn’t qualify. It’s been emotionally draining. I do feel a bit lost. I’ve dedicated every single day of the past few years to chasing this dream, and suddenly it feels like I’ve lost my purpose.
“The hardest part has been the responsibility I feel towards the people around me. No one has said this to me, but as an athlete, I feel like I’ve let everyone down – especially those who invested their time, effort and money in my journey.”
For now, Yaw plans to take a short break to spend time with his family, whom he has not seen for some time. He will then resume daily physical training ahead of the new season, which begins in October.
Before that, however, he faces another hurdle – funding.
“As of now, the next long-term goal is to qualify for the 2030 Winter Olympics. If given the opportunity, I will dedicate all my effort to reaching that peak and making Malaysia proud,” said the 30-year-old.
“Sliding sports require significant financial commitment, especially for athletes who need to be based overseas for training and competition.
“Even though my mind and body are ready to start again, I currently do not have the necessary funding to continue competing for Malaysia.
“If I am to continue flying the Jalur Gemilang on the international stage, I will need support.”