Malaysian waterskier Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah sets a new jump personal best and improves her slalom mark at the Holy Cow Cup in Florida.
MALAYSIAN WATERSKIER Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah (pic) continued to push her limits at the Holy Cow Cup in Florida, United States, setting a personal best in jump and breaking the Asian record.
Competing at Lake Grew in Polk City from Oct 9 to 11, the 23-year-old improved her slalom personal best by clearing two buoys at 11m. She also set a new jump personal best of 51.9m, surpassing her previous mark of 51.1m.
Her jump also broke the Asian record of 51.2m set by Japan’s Saaya Hirosawa. Aaliyah now holds the Asian records in trick, jump, slalom and overall.
“These results also assisted in putting me in a higher starting seed at the World Championship in Australia next year, which will hopefully place me in better weather and skiing conditions,” she said.
Aaliyah, who is set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida Southern College in December, is now preparing for the National Collegiate Water Ski Association (NCWSA) Collegiate Nationals in California next week.
Her Florida Southern College team will aim to finish among the top three of 12 Division I competitors.
Aaliyah is Asia’s highest-ranked female waterskier, with global rankings of seventh in jump and 11th in trick. Her ranking in Open Women’s Slalom places her among the world’s top 100.
Reflecting on her performance at the Travers Grand Prix, she said she finished 11th among 12 professional skiers but was pleased with her progress after recovering from an injury sustained in a jump crash earlier this year.
“Overall, I finished in 11th position out of 12 pro skiers in the Travers Grand Prix. I am extremely satisfied with my performance, especially after recovering from an injury sustained due to a jump crash early this year, which delayed the start of my season,” she said.
Her focus now shifts to the IWWF Waterski World Championships in Australia in February 2027 and the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia.
Aaliyah also expressed gratitude to her family and sponsors for their continued support. “I am grateful for the support from my family and sponsors,” she said.