KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- A visit to watch rhythmic gymnastics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games (KL98) here with her parents was all it took for Clarissa Lee to fall in love with the grace and artistry of the sport.
Nearly three decades on, that childhood fascination remains firmly etched in her heart, with Clarissa now channelling the same passion into nurturing young talents and ensuring the sport continues to flourish.
The former gymnast, who is serving as Federal Territories team manager at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) for the third consecutive edition, said the memories of watching rhythmic gymnastics at Kuala Lumpur 1998 remain a major influence behind her continued involvement in the sport.
“The passion for rhythmic gymnastics, definitely because I was once also a gymnast and I understand for the love of rhythmic gymnastics is not everyone will have, but once you love it, you will always go forward.
“My first love when I saw rhythmic gymnastics was back in 1998 where Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games. I personally went to the stadium with my parents, and this is very nostalgic, the feel of it. It's overwhelming for me. So, with that feeling, it brings me up to where I am today,” she said.
She said this when met on the final day of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 rhythmic gymnastics competition at Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Razak, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Bangi yesterday which saw Federal Territories emerge as overall champions with two golds, one silver and one bronze.
Clarissa, 34, saw her own competitive journey cut short by several factors, including injuries, after competing up to the Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) level and later representing the country in a friendly competition in Japan in 2001.
Despite that, her passion for the sport never faded and she has since set her sights on developing and producing as many young rhythmic gymnasts as possible who can progress to higher levels.
Clarissa, who is also a physical education (PE) teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Convent (1) Bukit Nanas here and the Talent Search Technical Chairperson, said her biggest ambition is to identify talents from a young age, as an early start is crucial in rhythmic gymnastics.
“Because this sport, you need to start early. Without an early start, it's very hard when they are growing older. As we know, our body when it gets older, everything is, you know, stiffer. So it's better when they start young. So my dream is to hope that I can find more talent for this sport,” she said.
Apart from strengthening the talent pipeline, Clarissa also hopes improvements can be made to the organisation of rhythmic gymnastics at future SUKMA editions, particularly in terms of the suitability of the competition venue and training facilities.
Clarissa said ceiling height is an important consideration in rhythmic gymnastics, while having sufficient training carpets is equally crucial to allow gymnasts to practise continuously before entering the competition area.
“My personal view is that if it's possible, we get a better venue where height is very important for this game, a venue where we have very high ceiling height and if possible, also we can cater more carpets for training carpets.
“Because for them to go into the competition carpet, they need consistent and lots and lots of training, non-stop, before they go out. In this sport, body motor is very important for them to, you know, it's like a habit, where you close your eyes also you can even do it, so it's very important for continuous practice,” she said.
Meanwhile, Clarissa said Federal Territories had given their best despite narrowly missing out on another gold medal, adding that the gymnasts had trained hard throughout their preparations.
At the previous edition in Sarawak, Federal Territories swept all six rhythmic gymnastics gold medals, while only three gold medals were contested at this year's Games.
-- BERNAMA