KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 -- Malaysian figure skater Fang Ze Zeng's rise to the top of the podium at the 2025 SEA Games was not defined by a single moment of glory.

Instead, it unfolded over years of quiet discipline, setbacks, and an enduring love for the ice that began long before the spotlight found him.

At the age of 21, the young athlete etched his name into Malaysian sporting history by winning gold in Thailand, scoring 157.22 points to finish ahead of Thailand's Aaron Kulvatunyou and the Philippines' Paolo Barromeo.

Even now, the weight of that achievement has not fully settled in.

"I'm glad everything went well," he said in an interview with Malay Mail.

"The result was better than my previous competitions, even though it was...