51 and still flying: Chusovitina inspires Malaysian gymnast at Asian Games

NAGOYA: Young artistic gymnast Marissa Zaiful is inspired to work even harder in training after competing alongside Uzbekistan's legendary Oksana Chusovitina at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games.

Despite her advanced years, Chusovitina humbled 46 other younger athletes, including Marissa, 18, and teammate Yeap Kang Xian, 17, to qualify fourth in the women's vault event earlier this week.

Chusovitina, now 51, is no doubt a generational talent whose career has spanned decades.

The three-time world champion and former Olympic gold medallist went on to finish fifth in the vault final at the Nagoya General Gymnasium yesterday with a score of 13.199.

Marissa, who finished eighth in the final on 12.733, said competing against Chusovitina and other world-class gymnasts in a major final was an eye-opening experience.

Marissa and Kang Xian, who placed seventh (12.983) in the final, were both making their Asiad debuts.

"I have never competed at a major international competition, not even the SEA Games, so the final was definitely a nerve-wracking experience for me," said Marissa.

"But at the same time it was a great experience as I was able to compete alongside big names who have achieved so much and have been in the game for so long, such as Oksana.

"It was a great opportunity for me to learn. I was able to have a very short conversation with Oksana due to the language barrier.

"I feel very inspired to keep working hard and I hope to be as good as them one day."

Marissa, who was born in Thailand but raised in Malaysia, is hoping to make it to the Olympics one day.

"I started in gymnastics when I was very young because of my elder sister who was also a state gymnast. From there, I developed my own passion for the sport," she said.

"My goal is to be in the top-five at major competitions and from there look to break into a podium position."

Marissa, Kang Xian, Cadence Teh, Nicole Wong and Rachel Yeoh, who were all making their Asian Games debuts, placed fifth overall in the women's team all-around final earlier this week.

They were the highest-ranked Southeast Asian team in the competition.