Lindswell Kwok (Courtesy of kualalumpur2017.com.my)

Athletes are just human beings who need the full support of their loved ones, particularly parents — if possible, in every in competition.

In the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, many parents of the Indonesian athletes have decided to travel miles away from home with their own budget to make sure their children feel comfortable, and hence do well.

Wasit Amin tirelessly cheered on his daughter, wushu athlete Juwita Niza Wasni, while she was performing in the women’s nangung (stick) category at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) on Monday.

He looked nervous as he waved his hands toward Juwita, trying to get her attention and make her aware of his presence at the venue. At some points, he cheered loudly whenever Juwita performed outstanding techniques.

Wasit came with his wife Zainab all the way from Medan, North Sumatra, to Kuala Lumpur.

“We came here on our own budget,” he told The Jakarta Post recently, without revealing the figures they spent to get to and stay in the city to support Juwita.

“We’re supposed to sit in the VIP area but I was not allowed to access even though I told [the organizers’ officers] my daughter is competing in the games,” he added, complaining slightly after being told to sit in the audience tribune.

In Monday’s finals, Juwita scored the highest, 9.63, edging out tough rivals Vietnam’s silver medalist Thuc Anh Nguyen (9.62) and Malaysia’s bronze medalist Cheau Xuen Tai (9.59).

Similarly, Lindswell Kwok, who won a gold medal in the women’s taijijian (Taiji straight sword) on Monday, was also accompanied by her mother Nuraini and older sister Yance at the Kuala Lumpur Games.

Nuraini and Yance did not cheer as often as Wasit and Zainab when Lindswell was performing. They just watched and occasionally clapped their hands. They said their support and prayers were all Lindswell needed to be successful in the Games.

“All the best for Lindswell. We surely expect she will participate in next year’s Asian Games,” Nuraini said, referring to the quadrennial sporting event that will take place in Jakarta and Palembang in South Sumatra next year.

Nuraini said it was Lindswell’s older brother, Iwan Kwok, who motivated Lindswell to practice the sport and do it in a professional way. “It was when she was a third grader in elementary school. Her brother was in China and taught her wushu when he returned,” she told the Post.

In Monday’s finals, Lindswell, who contributed two gold medals for Indonesia in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, emerged as the top finisher after securing 9.68 points, edging out the host country’s Yee Jo Audrey Chan who finished the second place (9.64 points).

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