Ooi’s self-belief won’t let her give up

May Ooi appears to be unbreakable.

She is self-assured and exudes confidence, but she fully understands the importance of self-belief, having struggled with it early in her career.

The former national swimmer recently found an old article about herself during the 1992 Olympics and one particular thing she said struck a chord in her.

She was quoted saying: "I'm not a natural, I have to train harder because I'm not a natural."

It was what her coach had told her and the message stuck with her.

Ooi, who retired from swimming in 2001, said: "I struggled for a long time when I was a kid because I allowed negative influences to influence my thinking.

"Negative influences are deadly in small doses and you start to doubt yourself."

Twenty-six years later, as she prepares to make her Asian Games debut as a jujitsu exponent, she speaks of herself more positively.

Through martial arts, she wants to inspire others to have faith in themselves, saying: "Now, I'm looking at myself going 'you're one hell of an athlete, you are a natural, you are gifted'.

"I want them to know that everything is viable as long as you believe in yourself."

Her coach Takeo Antonio Tani, 42, believes that she is athletically inclined, but also notes that Ooi's success is a product of her drive, saying: "If she did so well in swimming and now mixed martial arts (MMA), it's talent.

"But she really works harder than my other students from here. She never comes in just for drill or play."

At an age where many of her fellow athletes have called time on their career, Ooi, 41, is only beginning to write the newest chapter of her sporting career.

The notion that age besets athletes is one that baffles her, and in defying it, she hopes to prove otherwise.

She said: "I've reframed everyone's perception of what's your peak and when you finish.

"People use age as a crutch to slack off and let go. The reason your body fails you is because you haven't taken care of it."

Ooi has come far from her days as a teenager who made waves in swimming to slowly carving out a name for herself in martial arts.

Since becoming a professional MMA fighter in 2014, she has had four wins and two losses. Last September, she won the blue-belt master Under-64kg category at the Asian Jujitsu Championship.

This is a culmination of 10 years of relentless hustle and overcoming many hurdles, which is why Ooi believes that qualifying for this year's Games holds more significance than it did many years ago.

The medical doctor said: "I never realised how prestigious it was. I took it for granted.

"Now it carries more weight because it was really hard to make the team and there have been so many obstacles between losing my coach and loved one, injuries, being an adult and running a business.

"With all that happening, I still made the team.

"It felt like I moved a mountain."

Blow after blow and Ooi still finds her way back up every time.

The loss of her fiance Silvio Romero da Silva to a motorbike accident almost two years ago left a gaping hole in her life, but she found solace in martial arts.

She said: "I was in a very dark place after I lost my fiance and martial arts kept me sane.

"He taught me everything that gave me my foundation, was always there to guide me, and when he passed away, I was really lost.

"He was very confident and he said, 'You're the best in Asia, there's no reason you shouldn't be', and I'm remembering his words and going for it."

Come the Asiad, she will keep his words close and prove that she is the best on the continent as she targets a gold medal.

She said: "Whether I succeed or fail in winning that gold medal, at least I had clear goals and wasn't afraid to go for it.

"I'm not afraid to fail while striving for something great."