Thursday, August 7, 2008

Formula Future World Championship 2008

Article from Didik Berita Harian 4 Ogos 2008

Did anyone of you heard about Formula Future before? Maybe non of you familiar with this name but if I say Formula One, I think most of you know about this sport. Actually I want to talk about Formula Future Motor Boat. I think this sports is a new sport in Malaysia.

Recently, our athletes just came back from Formula Future World Championship 2008 at Ravenna, Italy. For your information, Malaysia successsfully defended their Formula Future champions title when this year’s edition of the event ended in Ravenna, Italy. It was their fourth win in five years after having first won in 2004. In Ravenna, Malaysia bagged three gold, two silver and a bronze with 2,200 points overall while nearest rivals Germany finished with 2,069 points. The hosts ended up third after managing only 1,544 points.

The gold were won by Zhafree Ammar Mohd Zamry in Class 1 (8-9 years), Muhamed Hanif Ramli in Class 2 (10-11 years) and Nik Daniel Affifudin Nik Kamaruzaman in Class 3 (12-13 years). Meanwhile Hadi Irfan Mohamed Rahaizah bagged a silver in Class 1 while Muhammad Akmal Kamaluddin delivered the other in Class 5 (15-18 years). The sole girl pilot in the team, Tengku Hanisah Nur Atikah Tengku Mohd Zainal Abidin Petra captured the bronze in Class 2.

In last year’s edition, Malaysia finished with two gold, three silver and a bronze. The only last year Malaysia did not win the championship was 2006 when the championship was also held in Italy. Last year it was held in East Frisia-Leisure Port in Leer, Germany. Apart from winners, the other countries that competed were Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Russia and Czech Republic. Formula Future will be a demonstration sport at the Beijing Olympic Games and will feature in the World Youth Games in Singapore in 2010.

Here, I would like to share a little bit information about three athletes who participated in Formula Future World Championship 2008 at Ravenna, Italy. They were Zhafree Ammar, Muhamed Hanif and Nik Daniel Affifudin. Zhafree start to be active in this sport since last years when he attracted with his cousin Nik Daniel Affifudin when he did his training at Lagun Kuala Ibai, Terengganu. After several time he try, he able to learn and has a skill to handle the boat very well and start to serious and he participate competition in National Level. He got full encourage and support from his parents to involve with this sport. He said that this year will be the sweet memory for him because his first trial to involve with this sport, he already success to won a gold. I can say that I was proud with his achievement.

Muhamed Hanif start to involve with this sport motor boat since 2006 and he represented Malaysia for last years event. However, he only got six place in Class 1 for the championship last years. He also got full support and encourage from his parents.

Meanwhile Nik Daniel Afiffudin start involve with this sport since 2005 and he want to be active in this sport eventhough he will start the secondary school next year. Although he was busy with his training, he said that he would never abundant his academic but he will follow a tuisyen class at night to study and make a revision the subject. He said that he will do the best for his Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) next month on September 2008. So, I wish all of you Good Luck and all the best not only for your sport field but also your academic.

Thank you.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Qabil qualifies for his fifth World Cup

Article from New Straits Times, Monday, August 4, 2008

Do you know Qabil Ambak? Maybe some of you do not know him very well except people who like an equestrian sport because he is very popular among them. For your information, Qabil Ambak has qualified for next year’s World Showjumping Cup in the United States after winning the Merdeka Masters Class 12 (145cm) Showjumping SEA League qualifiers at the 3Q Equestrian Centre in Kuang.
His achievement in this sport is very outstanding. Before I talk more about his achievement, now I would like to give information about his biography. His full name is Qabil Ambak bin Dato’ Mahamad Fathil, born in Kuala Lumpur. He is the second child in a family of three. He has an elder brother Quzier Ambak and a younger sister Quzandria Nur whom also rides. He has been a National rider for Malaysia in Showjumping and Dressage since 1995 and had been competing in the European circuit at the age of 18. He is currently based in Malaysia and often goes to Europe to train and compete under the guidance of former world showjumping champion Dermott Lennon. At the same time his working with MFDM Holdings in Malaysia.
Briefly I would like to share about his history on riding, his love for horses started at the age of 10 as a weekend hobby. In 1992 he started competing at National Dressage competitions and was trained by an Australian trainer, Jenny Brockman. The following year he was trained by a German trainer, Reiner Kramer for about 3 years from Prelim level up till Prix St. George. He first represented Malaysia in dressage competitions in 1995. Later that year he was in the Malaysian Dressage team which won the Bronze medal at The 15th South East Asian Games in Thailand. In 1998, at the 13th Asian Games he was part of the Dressage team winning the Silver medal.
For you information, Qabil started show jumping seriously in 1995 when he competed in several national junior jumping competitions. At that time he was coached by a Canadian, Frank Selinger. In the following years he competed internationally in Spruce Meadows Calgary, Canada and also the United States. In the early part of 1997 he moved to Europe to compete in France under the guidance of French International rider Edouard Couperie. The year after he moved to Belgium and competed in several International competitions around Europe and was then coached by New Zealand's Olympic rider Bruce Goodin. In the same year he competed in several Nations Cup and the World Cup qualifiers held in South East Asia. In 1999 he started competing in some of the Grand Prix events around Europe. In that same year he competed in the World Cup B Final held in Germany and was placed overall second.
In 2001, Qabil was the winner of the South East Asian World Cup League and was the young rider champion. At the 2001 South East Asian Games, he took four Gold medals for Showjumping and Dressage. By winning the four Gold medals, Qabil was named as the most outstanding male athlete of the 21st SEA Games. He was also awarded as the Malaysian Olympian of the Year 2001 by the Olympic Council of Malaysia. In 2002, He was the first Malaysian qualified for The World Equestrian Games held in Jerez, Spain after he was placed 5th in the WEG qualifier Grand Prix in Lons Le Sounier, France. Later that year, He helped the Malaysian showjumping team to win the Bronze Medal at the 14th Asian Games in Korea. By winning the SEA World Cup League for the second time in 2003, Qabil was the first Malaysian to create history competing at The World Cup Finals. He followed this up in 2004 when he once again qualified to represent South East Asia at the World Cup Final. Qabil became the first man to defend his SEA Games showjumping crown when he won the Individual Final at the Manila SEA Games 2005. At the Doha Asian Games 2006 he helped the country to win the Team Dressage Silver Medal and Individualy took the Bronze Medal. Recently once again he created history by repeating his four Gold haul at the 2007 South East Asian Games in Thailand and in the same year winning the South East Asian World Cup league for the fourth time.
His goal is to represent the country in the coming Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. So, Good Luck to Qabil and all the best for you.
Thank you.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Yelena As Good As Gold


Article from New Straits Times, Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Before this, I already talk about local athletes, but now I will talk about international athlete which is Yelena Isinbayeva, a Russian Pole Vault. For World and Olympic Pole Vault Campion Yelena Isinbayeva has been so dominant over the last four years. For her, winning gold in Beijing may just be formality for her. Yelena is one of the athletes that will be competing in Beijing Olympic Games 2008. She wanted to prove to all that she still good in this sport. She still has the same hunger for success that drives him to be the best she can do it.

Maybe none of you familiar with this athlete, so here I will talk a little bit about her biography. Yelena Isinbayena was born on Jun 3, 1982, in Volgograd Russia. She is 26 years old. As a young child, Yelena took up gymnastics when she was 5 years old, and continued until she was 15, when she reached 5’8 ½, she was deemed too tall to compete in the sport.

In November 1997, she took up pole vaulting. In 1999, she competed at the World Youth Games in Poland and won the gold medal. She went on to compete at the European Junior Championship in 2001 and won yet gold. Over the next few years, she continued to improve and in the 2004 Athens Olympics, she took the gold. She set a world outdoor record on August 12, 2005 of 5.01 m (16 feet 5 ¼ inches), only to beat it yesterday at 5.03 m (16 feet 6 inches). Yelena became the first women to break the five metre barrier in July 2005 before vaulting 5.01 at the World Championship in Helsinki the following month. She has stated her desire to surpass Bubka’s tally of 35 world record. Bubka is also an athlete of pole vault from Ukrain.

I am very impress with her, a Russian woman who is confidence to winning gold in Beijing. She believes that if she do the best, it’s impossible to beat her. She told press that she tends to use her first vault to warm up, the second to clinch victory and the third to attempt a world record. So, I think that all my information that I want to share with all of you. I wish good luck to Yelena. All the best for you.

As we all know that there is not many Malaysian people involve with this sport. I think maybe there is a reason for that. So, what do you think my friends? Do you have any view about why not many Malaysian people like to involve with this sports? For me, I suggest that we can do something which is we can encourage young people involve with pole vault since they are young or since they in a primary school.

Thank you.