This 13-Year-Old Malaysian Waterskier Just Won 5 Golds In Asian Championships
The pint-sized girl is already a 'veteran' in the sport.
By Sadho Ram — 27 Aug 2016, 04:17 AM
Her name is Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah and water is her stage.
When in water, Aaliyah, an otherwise pint-sized girl, transforms into this vivacious princess who is already a veteran in a sport which is not even so well known in Malaysia. And to think she is just 13!
She just had a terrific week at the recently concluded Asian Waterski and Wakeboard Championships in Yeonggwang, South Korea, where the Malaysian Waterski prodigy bagged 5 gold medals
The Star Online is reporting that Aaliyah, who secured her first gold with 5,340 points, grabbed her second gold in the jump event. She then grabbed her third gold in Slalom.
Her sweep of all three events was more than enough for Aaliyah to win the overall category – for her fourth gold medal. After which, she then took the team gold, her fifth.
Winning five golds can make anyone jump with joy, but that's not Aaliyah, who has pitted herself against world's bests and holds the record of being the youngest-ever SEA Games medallist in history
While excited for sure, she told The Star Online that she's "just a little disappointed I didn't beat the Under-17 record for Slalom".
Aaliyah has been training since she was merely five years old, and hopes to be able to win a world championship title one day
Currently, Aaliyah happens to be the youngest skier listed in the top 20 world ranking for the Under-17 category in the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation.
Her father Hanifah Yoong, who is also Malaysian WWF head coach, said Aaliyah's new ranking will grant her a chance in the future world championships.
"Malaysia is also slated to host the 2019 International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) Waterski World Championship in Putrajaya and we aim for Aaliyah to be ranked in the top three in tricks and top five overall by then," he said.