TEMERLOH: Despite their small size, Siti Nur Bahirah Husniah Ahmad and Nor Hanizah Hasnan, both aged 10, are confident that they will do well at the Sukma XII Games in Terengganu from May 31 to June 9.

"I'm young and small but that should not be an excuse for me not to excel like the others," said Siti Nur when met at a centralised training camp for Pahang Sukma athletes in Lanchang near here recently.

Slightly above one metre tall, the young gymnast was a favourite among the 500 athletes at the camp.

Siti Nur said she was scared at first when joining the four-day camp because most of the participants were teenage athletes.

However, she managed to easily adapt to the new environment because most of the senior athletes were friendly and helpful.
"The facilitators are nice to me and I have friends about my age in the artistic and rhythmic gymnastics teams," said the Standard Four pupil at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Teruntum in Kuantan.

Siti Nur is part of the Pahang artistic gymnastics team which will compete in the Sukma XII Games in Terenganu.

She said her two other siblings, who were also gymnasts, did not qualify for the prestigious competition.

Her team mate Nur Hasniza Hasnan of SK Indera Mahkota Utama in Kuantan was also a favourite among the athletes and facilitators due to her adorable looks.

"The older girls like to pinch my cheeks and hug me but will never allow the boys to do the same," she said with a giggle.

The youngest of four siblings, Nur Hasniza admitted that she really missed her family on the first day at the camp.

However, with help from her friends and team manager, she managed to focus on the training.

Team manager Look Chai Eng said only four of the six artistic gymnasts joined the programme, including Siti Nur and Nur Hasniza.

"They are all very talented and I hope they can also win a medal in the individual category," she said.