Waterski queen Aaliyah rules again
The 22-year-old, ranked World No. 7 in jump, cleared 42.6m in her favourite event, and scored 7,320 points in tricks to complete a golden sweep of the slalom, tricks, jump and overall.
Her only challenger, Indonesia's Ni Ika Dewi Ambarawati, settled for silver in all three events. The 32-year-old physiotherapist from Bandung managed 493 points in slalom and a modest 13.8m in jump.
Aaliyah, who will compete in the World Open in Recetto, Italy next week, pocketed RM4,000 in prize money.
"It's been a fun and exciting adventure for me. I was involved in a one-on-one challenge with Ika, and everything I did here was part of my preparation for the World Championships," said Aaliyah, who recently bagged four golds and set a new Asian jump record at the Asian Championships in Bangkok.
Aaliyah's victory was witnessed by Deputy Secretary-General of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Chan Hon Jin. During the prize presentation, the ministry also handed a mock cheque of RM145,000 under the Sport Matching Grant to the Malaysian Waterski and Wakeboard Federation, received by its president Phillipa Yoong.
In the men's open, Aaliyah's younger brothers Aiden and Adam also impressed. Aiden, 20, clinched gold in slalom and tricks — setting a new national record of 6,830 points in tricks — while Adam picked up a silver and bronze. Indonesia's Dimas Ridho Suprihono took silver in tricks with 4,920 points, leaving Adam to settle for bronze with 4,590.
The men's jump crown went to Indonesia's Zahidi Putu, who thrilled the crowd with a 39.9m leap. Aiden's best was 32.3m while Adam managed 28.6m.
Malaysia's youngest star, 13-year-old Aydan Saisi, delivered a remarkable performance to secure his third straight gold in the boys' Under-14 wakeboard final.
Aydan scored 20 points to finish ahead of five Indonesian challengers, including Alfarizi Nusantara (19.22 points) and Muhammad Syaiffulloh (16).
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