Speedster on the water
> Waterski champion Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah is making waves
Sometimes before I do my run or jump, I look around – at the crowd and at my teammates back at the dock.
What is your favourite trick and why? I would say it’s my flips because I get to go upside down and they’re high scoring tricks.
What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered in competitive water skiing? The main challenges are … the school work, school work and school work due to me being off school more than 80 days a year, but I’m managing it.
What’s the best part about being a competitive water skier? Besides winning and setting personal bests, the best part is travelling to different countries and meeting people from all over the world which gives me international and global experiences.
Being a competitive water skier has taken you to many countries. What’s your favourite place and why? I’d say Melbourne, Australia and Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, US. Melbourne because I love how everybody walks everywhere and the city vibe is really nice, and Santa Rosa beach because it’s where I can train with Cory Pickos; he’s one of the best coaches in the world.
What’s your favourite water skiing-related memory? It’s still the time when I first won a gold medal in the SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia in 2011 when I was eight and beating all those grown women.
If you had never attempted water skiing, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Oh, that’s a tough one, I may be doing another sport like horse riding (but it’s too expensive) or athletics because my dad is a good athletics coach and was a national runner himself in the 60s, or being an electric guitarist because my mom has a history of being involved in music.