You would have thought that a skiing accident and two knee surgeries would have broken the spirit of young Kong Pei Ling from Kuala Lumpur to compete again.

But after two years, the determined 19 year-old made a full recovery, and claimed a spot in the Manila Sea Games to compete in the aerobic gymnastic discipline.

Interestingly, she almost didn't make it. It was an excruciating one week wait for Pei Ling before the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation delivered the good news to her on her 19th birthday in August -- which Pei Ling said was "the best birthday present ever and a dream come true".

"Originally, the MGF was unsure of sending me because I finished second in the Malaysian Open as only one woman was to have been picked for the Games.

"I was really ecstatic when the MGF gave its approval to send a second aerobic gymnast," said Pei Ling.

The other is Soo Wai Lian, a more experienced and perhaps even luckier gymnast, who unlike Pei Ling, will be partly assisted financially by the MGF for the Games, while Pei Ling will be self-sponsoring her trip.

Sports listed a Category B, like aerobics gymnastics, are not funded by Olympics Council of Malaysia.

The former Alice Smith International School student, who also had to give up her ballet lessons after the accident, turned to weightlifting to gain strength, and tried out aerobic gymnastics with her fitness trainer's friend Dr Perlin Loke Jee Kwan, who happens to be Wai Lian's coach.

"Since aerobic gymnastics involves dancing as well, I took it up seriously and Wai Lian and I attended the qualifiers in August.

"We train six days a week which includes weight training, swimming, running, stretching and flexibility exercises," she said. But before she finally found a permanent on weekends and after her daily sessions at the MGF gymnasium in Cheras, Pei Ling was somewhat a nomad, moving from one studio to another for training.

"I could not find a permanent place, so I jumped form one studio to another before I finally found this place at the Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur to train," she said.

Her efforts didn't stop there. She deliberately chose a university in Sydney, Australia to further her studies next March, as she has engaged an Australian master coach, Carolyn Diakoumis, to help her improve.

"I want to learn as much as I can about this sport and competing is the best way to do that. I have always been a competitive person. I even took up athletics, basketball and played badminton in school.

"I know the odds are stacked against Malaysia in this discipline in the Sea Games but I will use the experience I gain in Manila as a stepping stone for future events."