Mandarin-speaking Katrina Feels Right At Home

PALEMBANG: Good communication, they say, is the key to success. And for top Malaysian synchronised swimmer Katrina Ann Hadi, that’s the least of her problems.

Don’t be surprised to hear her conversing in fluent Mandarin.

The 19-year-old Katrina, who is of mixed Malay and Western parentage, has been picking up Mandarin since joining the national team six years ago.

“The whole team speaks Mandarin and our coach (Long Yan) is from China. So, if I didn’t learn it I would have had a hard time communicating with the rest of the team,” said Katrina.

In sync: Katrina Ann Hadi (front) and Shareen Png en route to winning the gold in the free duet yesterday.

“At first it was hard because I didn’t attend any classes and I just learnt it from the other members. Now, I’m comfortable speaking in Mandarin.”

On Saturday, Katrina combined excellently with Shareen Png to deliver the first gold medal for synchronised swimming in the technical duet event.

Yesterday, Katrina again showed good understanding with the rest of the team to help Malaysia to another two more gold medals in the free duet and team routines.

“Their level has always been higher than the other nations in the SEA region and it was just up to them to deliver their best performance,” said Long Yan.

With such good understanding, it is no wonder that Malaysia have dominated the synchronised swimming events so far.