TEMPO.CO, Denpasar - Ni Wayan Malana Fairbrother made a splash after making a brilliant debut at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
The young skateboard athlete from Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, not only won a silver medal in the Women's Street event held at Extreme Sport Park Rajamangala, Bangkok, Thailand, on December 14th. Her striking appearance, with her blonde hair and fair skin, typical of Europeans, also drew attention.
The young athlete, known as Mala, recounted her struggle to win a silver medal at the SEA Games when met at Kuta Beach Skatepark, Badung, Bali, on Sunday (December 22nd). In the final, Mala successfully executed a 5-0 trick, a trick she had never attempted before. Thanks to her father's courage and encouragement, the trick ultimately led to her silver medal.
"It was a new trick. I'd never even tried it before the SEA Games. When I got there, Dad said, 'Come on, you can do a Five-0.' I tried it once, and I did it. I ended up using it in the competition and got a pretty good score," Malana recalled.
However, the 13-year-old had to settle for a total of 125.42 points. Furthermore, she found it difficult to compete against young host athlete Chunkao Udomphen and Thai Olympian Vareeraya Sukasem.
"Yes, my opponents were quite tough. The gold medalist was also very skilled, and she was only 10 years old. And my opponents had also participated in the Olympics, which made it difficult," Mala explained.
To overcome her nerves, Mala reassured herself and managed her emotions to remain calm. Furthermore, to ensure her best performance, Mala listened to relaxing music before the match.
"Because if I'm nervous, my score won't be good. My run won't be good. And if I'm mentally strong and not nervous, I can get a good score," Mala said, speaking in her distinctive Indonesian and English accent.
Although her main goal was a gold medal, Mala admitted she was proud of her second-place finish, considering this was her first time at Southeast Asia's largest sporting event.
Thought to Be a Naturalized Player
Who would have thought, behind her Caucasian facade, this 13-year-old teenager actually inherited Balinese heritage from her maternal grandmother and Sulawesi heritage from her paternal grandfather.
Ni Wayan Malana Fairbrother was born in Denpasar on March 17, 2012. Her father, Afandy Dharma Fairbrother, is of British and Sulawesi descent. Her mother, Cynthia Dewi, has Balinese and Australian ancestry. Although both parents are also mixed-race, they are both Indonesian citizens.
Malana's affinity for skateboarding is nothing new. Since childhood, Mala often watched her father and older brother skateboard. Following in the footsteps of her older brother, Genghis Bradley, Malana began skateboarding actively at the age of four.
"Because I saw my father and older brother skateboarding when I was little, I wanted to be like them," she said.
Living in the Kuta area, Mala grew up surrounded by the skateboarding and surfing community. Before pursuing her professional career with the National Skateboarding Team, Malana was also active in surfing.
She had participated in several surfing competitions, but she was torn between becoming a surfer or a skateboarder. She had also won several skateboarding competitions, such as the Mayor's Cup XIV and King of Kuta, as well as international skateboarding competitions.
In June 2025, she demonstrated her mettle at the prestigious World Skateboarding Tour (WST) World Cup in Rome, Italy. There, she reached the quarterfinals and finished 25th in the world in the Street Women's category. This was quite an achievement for a debutant.
Her brilliant talent even caught the attention of the Australian national team, who offered her a chance to join. However, her love for her homeland kept her choosing to play for the Indonesian national team.
"I had an opportunity with the Australian team, but I didn't. I wanted to play for Indonesia," she said firmly.
Full Family Support
Malana's success certainly didn't come overnight. Participating in various competitions at home and abroad is certainly inseparable from her parents, who have been her number one support system. Especially since joining the National Skateboarding Team in 2024, the guidance of coaches has further honed her skills.
Before entering the national training camp, Malana trained with her father, who is also actively involved in skateboarding. She often observed her brother's skating style. She enthusiastically shared her admiration for how her 18-year-old brother mastered skateboarding tricks.
Malana's achievements are certainly a source of pride for her parents, especially considering her struggles attending the national training camp in Cikarang, West Java, and being separated from her family in Bali for seven months.
"Of course, I'm very happy. Especially after she trained for seven months, was away from her family, changed schools, and had a lot of struggles," said Cynthia Dewi.
As parents, both Cynthia and Afandy fully support their children's pursuit of sports. They simply advise their children to be truly focused and serious.
"My father and mother have supported me for a long time, so without them, I wouldn't be here. Also, my friends who support me and the national team have been very supportive, as have the officials. Without them, I wouldn't be here," Mala said.
The World Stage
Mala's mission in the 2025 SEA Games is complete, and it's time to return home. Enjoying the gentle breeze of Kuta Beach, not far from her home. Resting, spending the end-of-year holiday catching up with friends, taking a break, and re-planning her future.
She has many goals she wants to achieve, especially participating in the Olympics.
"I want to be invited to the SLS (Street League Skateboarding) and compete in the X Games. I want to go to the World Skate Championships again, and I also want to compete in the Asian Games. Hopefully, I can win gold, that's the goal. And the SEA Games again, hopefully, and the Olympics," she said enthusiastically.
The blue-green-eyed teenager also appreciates the government's support for the development of skateboarding, such as the establishment of a fairly adequate skatepark in Kuta, Badung, strategically located in an iconic tourist area.
However, she also has a request for the government to provide more skateboarding spaces or skateparks of Olympic-sized size. The reason is, he sees a lot of potential among children under 10 years old in Bali who are pursuing skateboarding.
Read: SEA Games 2025 Closes in Bangkok, Malaysia Next Host
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