Waterskier Aaliyah Yoong continues making big splash

MALAYSIANSKINI | Waterskier Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah may be just 19, but she already did the country proud by winning the bronze medal in the women's tricks event at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in July and four gold medals at the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation Asian Waterski Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea in August.

Coming from a sports family and having national waterski coach Hanifah Yoong as her dad, it’s no surprise that this young woman would make a big splash in the waterskiing world from a very young age.

Aaliyah was only five years old when she took up waterskiing. She recalled attending the IWWF Putrajaya Waterski World Cup event her father helped organised that piqued her interest in the sport, which was invented and developed by an American, Ralph Samuelson, in the 1920s.

“When I was a kid, watching what they did in the water gave me the urge to do the same. As I grew older, I realised the talent I had in this sport and how well I could do it,” she told Malaysiakini in an interview.

At the tender age of eight, she already represented Malaysia at the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang. She won the gold medal in the women’s trick event, making her the youngest athlete to do so at the SEA Games.

“I think that will take a long time to sink in. I was a kid, and I did not know that I had won,” recalled Aaliyah, adding that her mother had to fetch her from the tent after the competition to inform her of her victory.

“I was playing Uno with my friends when my mother came and said ‘you have to get on the podium because you won’. I was like ‘Oh wow’. It was amazing to have won the Gold Medal for representing my country at such a young age,” said Aaliyah.

Now she is among the best in the world.

She described the recent achievements as her ultimate goal in life as well as her career as a competitive waterskier.

“To be honest, it is overwhelming for me, especially with all I have achieved this year after the two-year break that I had due to the pandemic,” she said.

Getting back in the game post-Covid

Like many other athletes, the pandemic was no picnic for Aaliyah.

“It was tough. It was hard to do anything at home because my sport was mainly on water. I just had to keep myself motivated about how much I love this sport and how much I want to get back to it.

“I was a little bit burnt out because I was not really progressing. So, I started thinking about the future and why I wanted to continue doing this. I thought of the goals that I had since the beginning and that helped me stay motivated,” Aaliyah explained.

When she first got back into the water after Covid-19 restrictions were eased, she admitted to being excited and nervous at the same time, having had no competition training.

“I almost forgot what it was like to be in a competition. Honestly, when I took part in my first competition it was so chill and so much fun. It felt so natural. So, everything worked out well.”

Her first major competition was the Moomba Masters 2022 in Melbourne, Australia where she won the Open Women's Overall and came in third for the Open Women Tricks categories.

All in the family

When it comes to family support, Aaliyah is grateful to have her whole family behind her. Besides her father, her mother Norzeela Sulaiman is also active in the sport and is part of the national waterski and wakeboard team.

Her two younger brothers, Aiden and Adam, are also rising stars in the waterskiing world. Her older brother, Alex Yoong, is a professional motorsports racer.

“Having family members who are active in sports helps me stay motivated. I am grateful to come from a family that is into sports. In a way, I feel obliged to continue the sporting spirit of my family.

“Being constantly surrounded by sports and the amazing support that I have from my family helps me stay in the sports mindset. It’s hard to stay away from it because it has been embedded in my lifestyle from the start.”

Having her dad as her coach is a big plus as well, she said.

“In a way, it is easy because he is always listening. He knows how I work. He can give me specific tips based on how I ski and how I train,” shared Aaliyah.

Furthering her studies

Despite winning competitions and making a big name for herself in water skiing, Aaliyah does not forget the importance of education.

She will enrol in university next year and is working towards a degree in Psychology.

“I believe the mental part of sports is as important as the physical part of it,” she said about her choice of programme.

“I used to watch sports psychologist Michel Gagne, the head of the Sport Psychology and Mental Training Department of the National Sports Institute, working with all the top athletes.

“He also helped me during my tournaments. I tend to put too much pressure on myself, and it affects how I ski. Just talking to him and learning how to stay focused during tournaments helped me a lot.

“So, I want to do what he does and help others the same way.”

Moving forward, Aaliyah said she sees herself going on for a few more years in the sport, and when she retires, she would like to open her own water-skiing school to coach and use her university degree to good use.

When asked if she ever had any regrets about the path she has chosen, Aaliyah admitted to getting asked the question a lot.

“Being a young athlete, you have to make a lot of sacrifices, especially with your social life and even school. I do miss hanging out with a lot of people and going to parties. But that is what you must do when you have one goal in your mind. I have to stay away from all that and stay focused.

“I learn to balance things as I grew older and now, I don’t think I’m missing out on much,” Aaliyah concluded.

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