KUALA LUMPUR: What began as a quiet hobby turned into a life-changing moment for a 20-year-old from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, who walked away RM200,000 richer after winning a fishing competition in Ulu Yam, Selangor.
The youth landed a 1.66kg catfish, the exact weight set by organisers as the winning benchmark, just minutes before the contest ended.
His lucky catch sealed his place as the final and winning participant in the event, now in its 17th edition.
Earlier, a video shared on the TikTok account of Den Kolam Pancing HQ went viral on social media after the youth was seen receiving RM200,000 in cash from the organisers moments after being announced the winner.
In the clip, the man, who was fishing at Pond 8, mentioned that he used water worms as bait.
When asked further, he said he had yet to make any plans for the prize money he had won.
Meanwhile, Den Kolam Pancing manager Farhana Nordin, when contacted, said the idea to organise the fishing competition came after they received overwhelming interest from fishing enthusiasts both locally and abroad.
“After seeing the overwhelming response and not wanting fishing enthusiasts to go home empty-handed, we decided to move to a larger venue in Ulu Yam.
“In Ulu Yam, we have 16 ponds and can offer bigger prizes,” she said.
Sharing details about the competition format, Farhana said winning the RM200,000 prize was no easy feat, as participants were required to catch a fish of a specific weight determined by the organisers.
“Within the three hours and 30 minutes given, the last participant to catch a fish of the specified weight would be declared the winner.
“In the recent competition, 42 qualifying fish were caught, but the youth from Kuala Lipis was announced the winner after landing his catch just minutes before the time ended,” she said.
Commenting on negative remarks from certain quarters questioning the source of the prize money, Farhana revealed that the organiser had received sponsorship from a company involved in the keropok lekor (fish cracker) business.
“I came across some comments claiming that the prize money came from participation fees.
“That is completely untrue, as the money was prepared in advance with support from a sponsoring company.
“The participation fees we collected were used to pay wages for 400 workers, maintain the ponds, and replenish fish stock for the competition,” she added.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
