Ex-mat lajak takes a jump in life
JOHOR BARU: He started off as a Mat Lajak whom no one paid any attention to, but teenager Daniel Shauqy Md Yazid is starting to get noticed after ditching his illegal racing and winning in professional bicycle tournaments.
The 15-year-old SMK Tun Syed Nasir Ismail student said he got involved in Mat Lajak activity when he was nine years old after befriending some illegal bike racers in his neighbourhood.
“I really like extreme sports but I did not know where to go to get proper training, so we just hung out and used the roads as our training ground.
“Together, we always rode our modified bicycles until the wee hours, just racing in the streets. I got hurt a few times.
“The activity stopped when my parents found out about my daredevil life and gave me a stern warning to stop,” he added.
Daniel Shauqy won the gold medal at the national-level BMX Championship in September last year.
He also participated in UCI BMX Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand in March, where he made it into the finals.
The UCI BMX World Championships events are the world championships for BMX racing (bicycle motorcross) held under the regulations of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the sport’s international governing body.
Daniel Shauqy said his parents advised him to take part in BMX sports some two years ago to continue his love for competitive cycling.
He admitted it was not easy to develop himself into a BMX athlete, as the sport required high discipline, concentration and good stamina.
Daniel Shauqy said his target was to represent Malaysia in the X-Games, which is the highest level of extreme sports competition in the world and it attracts famous extreme sports athletes.