KUCHING: What could be more captivating than bringing glory to the nation at a prestigious sporting event as an athlete, especially when the opportunity has already presented itself with a gold medal win at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) here?
For Sarawak’s Pauline Ului, the women’s discus gold medallist at the Games, her ambitions lie beyond the athletic field. The 16-year-old is more focused on pursuing her dream of becoming a police officer, driven by a strong desire to combat the drug menace.
Pauline’s interest in joining the police force was sparked during childhood, heavily influenced by the popular local television crime series ‘Gerak Khas’.
“I’m not too focused on becoming a national athlete, my dream is to be a police officer because I want to protect the country and my family. I might continue athletics until I’m 21, though.
“I developed an interest in joining the force after seeing a lot of drug abuse happening, especially among the young. I want to ensure Malaysia is a peaceful and healthy nation,” she told Bernama when met at the Sarawak Stadium here.
Yesterday, the SUKMA debutant stunned the field by defeating her much-fancied rivals, among them Farhana Izurein Faizal Amizul from Perlis who got the silver (38.41m) and Selangor’s Sasha Alyssa Philip who had to contend with the bronze (37.62m).
The SMK Long Bedian student from Ulu Biram said there was a sense of relief after completing her mission of delivering a gold for her home contingent.
“During the competition, there was only one thing on my mind, which was to get the gold for Sarawak… my self-belief and the support from everyone got me there,” the fifth of seven siblings said.
