What a week it was! A busy and exciting week of sports to be exact.

Let me begin on Saturday night July 3 (Malaysian time) when the Ladies Single final of the Wimbledon Tennis Grand Slam was played.

On centre court that cool but sunny English day were defending champion Serena Williams and lowly ranked Russian teenager Maria Sharapova.

Thanks to Astro, many of us were able to watch the match live on its Starsport channel. I did too.

And what a match it was! Maria Sharapova became the lowest ranked woman to win Wimbledon when she disposed off US superstar Serena 6-1, 6-4 in an exciting final which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The match was one of a 17-year-old underdog against a tennis powerhouse who was gunning for her third straight Wimbledon title. Few had expected Maria to win. Neither did I.

Maria's rise to become a tennis sensation at such a young age is a story of true grit and determination. It is a story of Maria's and her parents' belief in themselves and their abilities to reach the pinnacle of sporting greatness.

Set to make millions

When Maria was 7 years old, her father Yuri made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up everything to create a success of her daughter. With only US$700, he took her daughter out of their life of constant struggle in Siberia to the United States.

Yuri quickly enrolled her in the tennis academy in Florida and never looked back. Earlier, Wimbledon legend Martina Navratilova (who spotted Maria at the age of six) had told him that her daughter had a great future in tennis and he believed her. More importantly, he believed in himself and her then 7-year-old babe too.

Maria is set to net millions in advertising after her Wimbledon win made her one of the most bankable stars of the sports world.

A sports marketing expert said: "It is not at all unrealistic to expect this girl to earn US$100m plus. She could become a global icon. Everyone will want to know what she likes and how she lives.

"She could become one of the few sports people to transcend their sport - David Beckham is the most famous example of that."

As I relate Maria's success story, I am also reminded of the many stories of failures of our Malaysian sportsmen and sportswomen in recent times. Yes, they were those who were sent overseas to train with all expenses borne by the government - but they ended up nowhere, if not miserable failures. Yes, we certainly need more than just a war cry or a slogan of "Malaysia Boleh" to achieve results in the international sporting arena.

Queen of the pool

The only Malaysian sportswoman I can think of today who made it near what Maria Sharapova has achieved is perhaps Nurul Huda Abdullah.

In the late 80's and early 90's, Nurul was the queen of the pool in the Asian region. No other Malaysian female swimmer had scored or came even close to Nurul's mark after her retirement.

If I remember correctly, I believe it was Nurul's mother who stood with her all the way throughout her swimming career. She sacrificed her time, effort and money for her daughter's future and career, including becoming her chaperon during Nurul's training stints overseas.

Rather disappointingly, swimming did not turn Nurul and her mother into millionaires as tennis did for Maria and her parents although I must say they deserved to reap the financial rewards for their sacrifices and hard work.

Nonetheless, Nurul has been a shining example for Malaysians and had taught us all of what it takes to reach the pinnacle of a sporting career - sacrifice, discipline and courage.

Last Sunday (July 4), we witnessed another example of raw courage and discipline at its best in sports. In Kuantan, Pahang, our very own Malaysian shuttler, Lee Chong Wei, defied all odds to win the Malaysian Open men's single title for the first time.

Filial piety

Here again, like Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon the day before, Chong Wei was the underdog and not even seeded at the Malaysian Open. Along the way to his first international title, Chong Wei toppled Denmark's No 1 Peter Gade-Christensen, China's world No 2 and 4, Chen Hong and Bao Chunlai respectively before beating South Korea's Park Sung-hwan in the final.

Badminton may not be as glamourous as tennis but it is just as tough to excel in the sport. To reach international level, a badminton player must now concentrate on the sport full-time. I don't think Malaysian badminton players are fully professional but it's about time that those who have potentials be encouraged to turn pro.

I've watched Chong Wei train and play in Kuala Lumpur many times. Of all his attributes, I must say that I find his ability to maintain consistency in his game sets him a class above the rest. Although he is only ranked No 3 in Malaysia, behind Wong Choong Hann and Roslin Hashim, Chong Wei's consistency will see him go far in his badminton career.

I'm also touched by Chong Wei's show of filial piety when he expressed his wish to have his parents in Kuantan to watch him play in the final last Sunday.

Somehow, it's a pretty good feeling to know that our young sportsmen and sportswomen everywhere are honouring their parents and elders when they have achieved success in their chosen careers. That speaks a lot of the support and commitment parents are giving their children in their quest for sporting glory and how the disciplined kids remember and appreciate the sacrifices made by their parents.

Football king of Europe

This week's final story of sacrifice, discipline and courage must surely be the crowning of Greece as the champions of European soccer.

Entering the tournament at 150-1 odds to win the Cup (similar to Nigeria winning the World Cup perhaps), nobody who knows anything (or nothing) about football will not give Greece a ghost of a chance to even get past the first round of the tournament, let alone win the European Cup.

When they disposed of hosts Portugal 2-1 in the opening match of the tournament, critics were quick to dismiss their victory as a singular stroke of luck. But what can you say about destroying Spain, Russia, Czech Republic and defending champions France. And beating Portugal again in the final. Surely this is not pure luck.

The story of Greek football over the past few weeks can be likened to the adventures and ordeals of the Greek warrior Odysseus after the fall of Troy as he struggled to return home and re-established himself as King of Ithaca.

Greece, who had never previously won a match at a major tournament, had only a bunch of players with no big names (but unpronounceable names) and a foreign coach discarded by his native Germany.

But like Odysseus, they struggled, they showed raw courage and firm commitment until the final whistle. In the end, they certainly deserved the European crown.

The stories of Maria Sharapova, Lee Chong Wei and Greece, as far as I'm concerned, are real stories of sacrifice, discipline and courage which should be remembered and told over and over again to our young people. They are such fine examples of triumphs against all odds. I cannot think of better stories in recent times to encourage the young sports enthusiasts in our midst to go all out to achieve sporting greatness.

I'm glad I've put their stories on record this week.

KS PAUL is a freelance journalist from Sarawak.