KUALA LUMPUR: Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah will spearhead Malaysia’s challenge at the Malaysia Ski and Wake Championships on July 15-16, which is making a return at the Precinct 6 Water Sports Complex in Putrajaya after a four-year absence.
Malaysian Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (MWWF), in statement today, said the Malaysian water skiing golden child would be competing alongside 60 participants from six countries.
“The likes of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and New Zealand are sending their national athletes to compete alongside Malaysia’s own athletes,” the statement said.
It said the event is organised by MWWF in collaboration with Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup Sdn Bhd (WWWC), with support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and Putrajaya Corporation.
Aaliyah, who is fresh from a historic achievement of winning bronze at the World Under-21 Championships in Mexico last month, said she is excited to be back home competing for the first time in four years.
“I will be slaloming in the morning at 8.40 am on both Saturday and Sunday, and then there will be tricks at 12 noon on both days.
“But my biggest improvement over the last few years has been in jump, and I certainly hope that everyone will show up in force at the Putrajaya Water Sports Complex to watch me fly over the lake,” she added.
Aaliyah notched a solid 37m during the world meet in 2019 and she has improved by leaps and bounds with her personal best in jump standing at 47.2m, set in the United States early this year.
The 19-year-old also holds the national records for tricks (8,080) and slalom (4/55/12m) and would love to wow her home fans and supporters this coming weekend. - Bernama
