SHAH ALAM - Fifteen-year-old Sharifah Ariel Budriah Jamalullail’s stunning victory in Manama, Bahrain, has forced an uncomfortable question: Why are Malaysia’s young riders achieving international glory with so little help from the system meant to nurture them?
“We push our children because no one else will,” Sharifah Ariel’s mother, Che Puan Temenggong Perlis Datin Seri Farinawati Mohamat Din, told Sinar Daily, without hiding her frustration.
Her daughter’s historic gold should mark a turning point, yet she fears it will be treated as a one-day headline just like the achievements of countless niche athletes before her.
“These children are young. If we don’t push them now, who will continue the sport in 10 years? We need the ministries to step up. We (parents) are committed, but we cannot do this alone.” Her message is raw: parents can only carry the burden for so long.
She sees other nations such as China and South Korea aggressively grooming their youth riders while Malaysia’s future stars fight uphill battles with limited facilities, slow pathways and inconsistent support.
“Talent is not the problem. The system is,” she said, pointing out the painful truth most parents know too well.
“Equestrian is niche, but it is the only sport (at AYG) that brought home a gold medal," she said.
She recalls how rider Mohd Qabil Ambak waited two decades to claim his Asian Games gold and much of it self-funded.
Her fear? That Malaysia will force the next generation to suffer the same fate.
Johan Sanjay Abdullah, father of rider Sonia Aisyah, said every niche athlete faces the same wall.
“The focus is always on the big sports. But Bahrain proved our children are just as capable, if not more," he said.
He described how Sharifah Ariel’s speed shocked rival teams.
“From the team event to the final jump-off, she was the fastest. Malaysia has the talent. What we lack is belief and support from the top.”
For Azlin Reza Azmi, mother of Arissa Audreyna, what hurt most was seeing other countries ride with an advantage Malaysia never had.
“Most riders competed on their own horses. Ours didn’t. And yet they delivered," she said.
In equestrian, riding an unfamiliar horse is like an athlete competing with a borrowed body. Still, the Malaysian team pushed through and won.
The parents’ voices echo the frustrations of other overlooked athletes.
World No. 1 lawn bowler Nor Farah Ain Abdullah said Malaysians dismiss niche sports until medals appear and even then, support is fleeting.
“People don’t understand the discipline and sacrifice behind these sports. Exposure matters. Respect matters," she told Sinar Daily recently.
Parents are now asking the nation’s leaders one urgent, emotional question.
How many young champions must struggle in silence before Malaysia finally supports the sports that are making history?
Their children have proven their worth. Now they want their country to do the same.