KUALA LUMPUR: Waterski star Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah will spearhead Malaysia’s challenge at the World Championships in Recetto, Italy from Aug 26-31.
The 22-year-old, who is Asia’s No. 1, will be joined by her siblings Aiden and Adam at the meet which has drawn 200 skiers from 32 nations.
Aaliyah, who made history as the youngest-ever SEA Games gold medallist in 2011 at eight years old, has grown into one of the sport’s top performers.
The Yayasan Sime Darby scholar, currently pursuing a degree in Psychology at Florida Southern College, is ranked seventh in the world in jump and 11th in tricks.
This will be Aaliyah’s sixth World Championships. She begins in the Open women’s Slalom preliminary on Aug 27, before the Jump (Aug 29) and Tricks (Aug 30).
Her younger brothers, Aiden, the tricks and overall winner at the recent Asian Championships in Thailand, and Adam will contest in the men’s Slalom (Aug 26), Tricks (Aug 27) and Jump (Aug 28).
National coach Hanifah Yoong believes Aaliyah’s world ranking gives her a realistic shot at the finals.
“Aaliyah is ranked seventh in jump and starts in Series 1, which gives her a good chance of making the final. In tricks, she begins in Series 2, so it will be tougher, but she is determined,” he said.
“In slalom, she will need to post a strong score to boost her overall chances.”
Hanifah added that Aiden and Adam’s participation is crucial for their long-term growth, especially ahead of the 2027 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
