From a nine-metre throw to SUKMA gold: Sasha’s journey at BSKL

When Sasha first stepped onto an athletics field as an eight-year-old, she had no idea where it would take her. There was no national record to chase, no SUKMA gold medal in sight and certainly no thought of representing Malaysia on the international stage. There was just an excited Year 4 student, a school sports tour to KTJ and her very first javelin throw. She threw nine metres. At the time, Sasha was convinced it was a distance worthy of an Olympic medal.

More than a decade later, that same little girl has grown into a Year 13 student, BSKL Head Student and one of Malaysia’s leading young discus throwers. She recently won gold for Selangor in the discus at the Malaysian Games (SUKMA), setting a new personal best and breaking the Malaysian U20 discus record for the third time in just six weeks.

For Sasha, the achievement was particularly special because her first SUKMA gold came on home ground in Selangor. As she stood on the podium, she could hear the crowd singing along to the Selangor state anthem. “It made the win even more special for me,” she says.

Sasha has been part of the BSKL community since Reception, meaning that much of her childhood and teenage years have unfolded within the school. Over 13 years, she has discovered many passions, but sport has undoubtedly become one of the greatest.

Her journey began through a BSKL CCA. After being introduced to track and field and taking part in try-outs, she was selected to represent the school. That first sports tour to KTJ, as a “small but incredibly excited Under-9”, opened the door to a passion that would grow year after year.

She eventually found her way towards the throwing events, specialising in javelin, discus and shot put, and went on to represent BSKL at district, state, national and international competitions. But the journey has never simply been about winning.

At SUKMA, Sasha entered determined to win her first National U21 title. After four throws, she was still behind. Rather than allowing the pressure to take over, she focused on what she could control. “I reminded myself to take the competition, each throw, one at a time, stay composed and enjoy the moment,” she says.

On her fifth attempt, she produced the throw that secured her gold. That ability to stay focused and keep going has been developed through years of training and competition. It has also shaped the way Sasha approaches life as a student-athlete. Training between 17 and 20 hours a week alongside her Year 13 studies requires discipline, resilience and commitment.

She credits sport with helping her academically too, giving her focus and determination while providing a welcome break from schoolwork. And throughout that journey, BSKL has grown with her.

As Sasha's sporting commitments increased, so did the demands of her academic life. Her teachers and tutor have worked around training sessions, competitions and travel, helping her manage deadlines and catch up on work. At times, teachers have even given up their lunch breaks or stayed after school to help her with something she had missed.

For Sasha, those moments matter. “BSKL has been extremely supportive of my academic and athletic journeys,” she says. “My friends, classmates and so many people within the wider BSKL community have given me their warm congratulations for my win, and so it means a lot to me that I have such a kind and caring community supporting me.”

It is easy to look at Sasha today and see the medals and records. But behind them are years of early mornings, difficult training sessions, setbacks and moments when progress felt like nothing more than “baby steps”. Sasha has learned that those small steps matter.

“If you continue to work hard, believe in God, trust the process and have faith in what you are doing, those small steps eventually become something much bigger,” she says. And they have.

From that first BSKL CCA and a nine-metre throw she once thought could win an Olympic medal, Sasha has gone on to represent Selangor, win SUKMA bronze in 2024 and gold in 2026, and break the Malaysian U20 discus record three times. Her ambitions now stretch even further: the MSSM record, gold at the Southeast Asian U20 Athletics Championships, another personal best and, hopefully, qualification for the 2027 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

After 13 years at BSKL, Sasha's story is also a story of growing up. The school has been there through her first competition, her first medals, the long training sessions, the missed lessons, the celebrations and the setbacks. It has watched a young girl discover something she loved and, over the years, become a young woman with the determination to see just how far that passion can take her.

“I have achieved more than 8-year-old Sasha ever dreamed she could,” she says. “But I know that the best is yet to come.”

And perhaps that is what makes her journey so special. What began with a nine-metre throw at BSKL has become a journey far beyond what that little eight-year-old could have imagined.