Foul!

Press release Malaysian waterski darling Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah can certainly stand tall after rounding up the International Waterski and Wakeborard Federation (IWWF) Waterski World Championships on a high. With nothing to lose, the 16-year-old delivered another outstanding showing in the women’s tricks final to score 7,440 at the Water Sport Complex, Putrajaya today. The score was better that her achievement  of 7,320 in the preliminaries and it is yet another new Asian open women’s tricks record. She finished ninth following several upsets with American Erika Lang and Canadian Neilly Ross fumbling their runs. Aaliyah also finished 10th in the women’s overall category with a score of 1,984.63. “I think it was a pretty good way to finish despite the fact that I fell at the end and I’m lucky that the judges didn’t take away those points from my tricks run,” said Aaliyah who has a personal best of 7,600. “I’m usually not so consistent with my scores because nerves g...

PRESS RELEASE It’s a huge breakthrough for Malaysian waterski darling Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah after she reached her first final at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) Waterski World Championships. Starting eighth in the women’s tricks preliminaries series 2, the teenager was at her calmest under intense pressure as she racked up a total of 7,320 points at the Water Sport Complex, Putrajaya on Friday. That temporarily put her in the lead and it proved to be more than enough as she eventually finished ninth. Only the top 12 skiers progress to the final and Aaliyah’s achievement is a massive step forward as she becomes the first ever Asian skier to reach a tricks final. Additionally, her score of 7,320 is also a brand new Asian record, erasing her own previous record 7,250. It is shy of her personal best score of 7,600 but the spunky 16-year-old was simply elated to make the final. “I really don’t know what to feel right now. It’s just so cool to be in...

PRESS RELEASE Asian skiers will have more reason to look forward to the Waterski World Championships which starts today at the Putrajaya Lake. This is because for the first time in history, the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) has approved of a parallel ‘Best Asian Skier’ category to run alongside the main world meet event. This is indeed a significant move aimed at giving recognition to the passion and dedication of Asian skiers as well as giving the sport a push towards development in this region. With waterski in Asia traditionally lagging behind the American and European counterparts, it is highly unlikely for the Asian skiers participating in the world meet to make it through to the finals. The only Asian skier who could make the final is Malaysian sensation Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah, who is currently ranked No. 12 in the IWWF world rankings in tricks. But it is still a very tall order for the 16-year-old who is going up against som...