Teen gymnast Edlyn finds joyful rhythm in performing

Team Singapore heads to the 29th SEA Games later this month with a roster of established athletes, as well as several youngsters who will be looking to make a name for themselves in Kuala Lumpur. TODAY is counting down to the event by profiling some of our stars of the future. Here we focus on rhythmic gymnast Edlyn Ho.

SINGAPORE — There is an element of art in almost every sport, but few combine it as much with athletic prowess as rhythmic gymnastics.

Competitors marry leaps and tosses with classical dance and ballet elements, all while performing with apparatus as they execute routines choreographed to music.

It is all that Edlyn Ho has known since picking up the sport at six and then donning the Singapore crest on the left sleeve of her leotard at eight, with training sessions progressively stretching from three hours daily to four, then seven, then eight, up to six days a week over the last 12 years.

As the 18-year-old put it, her life can be broken down into a cycle of three main parts — school, training and then going home.

School has even been taken out of the equation since June, as Edlyn and her six national teammates have been training from 10am to 5pm every day to prepare for the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur later this month.

Why the dedication? The answer is simple — joy.

“It’s a combination of art and dance and because it’s such a special sport, I enjoy doing it – every time we perform a routine, I feel very happy,” Edlyn told TODAY, her eyes sparkling.

“Rhythmic gymnastics has more creativity, gracefulness and dance than artistic, which requires a lot of strength and power … It’s a very expressive and graceful sport. I’ve found joy in doing this.”

That joy has to come through in their routines too, where expression is paramount.

“If you just focus on (doing) the routines without expression, it won’t look nice, so you have to do both at the same time,” she explained.

“In the face and through body movements ... We need to express the meaning of the music in our routines, in addition to all the apparatus and elements we have.”

FOCUSED

Natalia Rybak, a former member of the Soviet and Ukrainian national teams who was appointed as head coach in December 2015, believes that gymnasts are “unique girls”.

“The work is very interesting,” said the 55-year-old, who has coached internationally for over 30 years. “These gymnasts are beautiful, have very fast reflexes and can repeat movements with good quality.

“I think the team is strong enough to fight for the highest places at the SEA Games. We have a very good team, at a very good age, who are very nice-looking.”

Edlyn’s sole event in Kuala Lumpur is the group all-around, which Singapore will be defending. Their triumph two years ago — a “very happy experience” — was the nation’s first ever gold in rhythmic, but she is the only member remaining from that group.

Now the eldest in the team and also its captain, Edlyn’s focus is on executing their routines properly rather than a medal target.

“I’ve been training with the new team for two years,” she said. “We’ve managed to click well and have close chemistry, so it wasn’t a major change (from the previous team).

“I’ve learned from previous captains and will use that experience to guide the younger ones.

“We can’t control whether we will win gold, but I believe if we do our best and perform what we’ve trained so hard for, no matter the results, it’ll be worth it.”

Rhythmic gymnasts run the risk of being hit by their apparatus — the hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon — and an ex team-mate chipped her teeth after being hit by a club. American gymnast Monica Rokhman previously told NBC how she had to get 23 stitches after a club flew into her forehead.

Edlyn is grateful not to have had such experiences, though bruising and bleeding are de rigueur “when we get hit”.


DRIVEN

Pressure motivates Edlyn to work harder and she is “confident” working with Rybak, whose guidance she says helps to reduce the stress of competition.

When the going gets tough, the support of her family – elder sister, a gymnastics coach and judge, father, the vice-president of the Singapore Gymnastics Association, and grand aunt – spurs her on, as do her coach and team.

“When I see how they put in so much effort, I know I have to put in my best effort too no matter what,” Edlyn said.

“Gymnasts must have a very strong mind-set as it will help to keep you going even when your body feels weak.”

Rybak has high praise for her, as she added: “I’m happy to be Edlyn’s coach because she’s a strong girl, has very strong character, very good behaviour and is very smart.

“And she’s very punctual, she never misses practice. Sometimes she wants to practise when she’s not well.

“She thinks a lot before she speaks, she’s not impulsive, like me, yes?” she added, before breaking into a hearty chuckle.

“Coaches must be crazy, a little bit — it’s what our sport needs!”

The Soviet Union-born Rybak, who has coached in Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Canada, believes Edlyn has the potential to flourish at international level, including the Olympic Games.

Time is on Edlyn’s side for gymnasts usually peak in their early 20s, but she is not thinking so far ahead.

“I will focus on one competition at a time,” said the Ngee Ann Polytechnic student, who looks up to South Korean Son Yeon-jae and Russian Margarita Mamun, the reigning Olympic individual all-around champion.

“If I look too far ahead I might get stressed. Being able to qualify for (the Olympics) will be good … I will do gymnastics as long as I can, as long as my body doesn’t give up on me.”

In the meantime, it is back to the grind for Edlyn — when she mentions that Sundays are usually rest days, Rybak looks up sharply, glint in eye as she interjects: “This Sunday, no!”

OTHER GYMNASTS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

*Izzah Amzan (Malaysia) The 17-year-old is expected to spearhead the hosts’ bid for a clean sweep of all eight rhythmic golds on offer. Izzah, who won four golds at the recent Asean School Games, will be making her Games debut.

*Le Thanh Tung (Vietnam) The defending men’s vault champion is expected to bag a consecutive second gold, and the 22-year-old enters the Games as Asia’s top dog, having won Vietnam’s first-ever Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships gold earlier in May.

*Cristina Onofre, Rachel Arellano, Erin Evangelista, Mariana Hermoso, Kaitlin de Guzman (Philippines) The quintet are quietly confident of bettering their bronze-medal finish from two years ago and are also targeting a gold in one of the four individual apparatus events.