Akmal’s advantage – in-Syed info from dad
KUALA LUMPUR: Many people have badminton courts and basketball backboards in their compounds. Not Syed Akmal
Fikri Syed Ali. He has a small petanque pitch just outside his house in Kampung Sarujeti in Dungun.
His father, Syed Ali Syed Akil, wanted to ensure his children grew up playing the sport.
Syed Ali, a former national athlete, has been the national petanque coach since 2015.
Now, both Syed Akmal and his younger sister, Sharifah Aqilah Farhana, are national petanque athletes. Syed Akmal has taken part in four SEA Games while Sharifah has featured in two.
The 23-year-old Syed Akmal, who took up the sport when he was 10, has bagged two SEA Games golds, a silver and a bronze and his dream now is to win gold in the triples event in the 49th World Championships in Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
Syed Akmal, himself a father of a 13-monthold daughter, said he had to thank his father for introducing him to the French game at an age when he was unsure what sports to take up.
“I was only 10 when I started training in petanque. A year later, I went on to win silver in the boys’ doubles event with Mohd Mukri Aiman in the World Junior Championships in Turkey,” said Syed Akmal.
“That was the turning point. I knew this was the sport that I wanted to play and I knew I could progress further in petanque.
“I have an advantage over other petanque players as my dad was always there to guide me. He even built a small petanque pitch outside our house for me and my sister to train.
“Hats off to my dad for all the hard work he has done to help us siblings win medals in competitions,” said Syed Akmal, the oldest among four siblings.
“I also sacrificed my Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) studies in 2017 by taking a oneyear break to focus on competitions. That paid off as I managed a bronze medal in the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium, partnering Nur Thahirah Tasnim in the mixed doubles the same year.
“That boosted my morale I aim to hit the big prize by winning gold in the World Championships. I will be featuring in the triples in the world meet and we have good petanque players in Mohd Hafizuddin (Mat Daud) and Saiful Bahri (Musmin).
“We did well to win gold in the Philippines SEA Games last December and we plan to retain it in next year’s SEA Games in Hanoi,” said Syed Akmal.