Water ski champ a Disney Princess
Published on: Sunday, June 26, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: 13-year-old, Malaysian water skier Aaliyah Hanifah is currently ranked No. 1 in the open women's tricks skier category in Asia.Recently, she was listed in the top 10 world rankings for the under-17 category in girls tricks, and in the top 30 in the world rankings for the open women's category by the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF), following her achievements at the Moomba Masters Championship in Melbourne, Australia.The youngest skier in her category, she is also the current record holder of the SEA Games open women's tricks and Malaysian open women's tricks.
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Aaliyah is certainly riding high ever since at age eight she first burst onto the international sporting limelight with her gold medal win for water skiing at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia, beating out competitors who were in their 20s.For her accomplishments, the Disney Channel has selected Aaliyah as one of four talented girls from Southeast Asia to embody its Dream Big, Princess global movement this year.The movement encourages girls everywhere to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams with courage, determination and compassion.This three-year campaign highlights the qualities of each of these four inspirational Disney 'princesses' and seeks to connect them with young girls today.
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The Disney Channel is currently airing a series of features on these four girls.Besides Aaliyah, the other three are 16-year-old YouTube singing sensation and actress Jannine Weigel (Ploychompoo) from Thailand, 14-year-old competitive skater Sofia Guidote from The Philippines, and 14-year-old Syifa Hasan (Afaf), the Junior MasterChef winner from Indonesia.
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During a recent interview session, Aaliyah told local media that she had always loved the water, and was never afraid even when her dad, Hanifah Yoong, introduced her to the sport when she was just five years old. Water-skiing is a passion for her. "It is very challenging but I love going into the water," she said. "My whole family loves water skiing. Even my cousins and two younger brothers." In the feature that she did for Disney, Aaliyah said she was inspired by Princess Ariel, from The Little Mermaid. "She is in the water and trying to explore land, and I am on land trying to explore the water world." She is also a big fan of another Disney princess, Mulan, because of the character's willingness to disguise herself and join the army in place of her father.Aaliyah's half-brother is former F1 driver Alex Yoong, and when asked if he had given her any advice, she said he told her to "have fun when you are in the water, don't think about anything and always do your best".Since it is the fasting month, Aaliyah is not skiing as often as she normally does.Her regular routine involves getting up early to water ski by 7am in Putrajaya, before heading to school.When asked if she water-skies all the way to school, the youngster giggled and said no.After school, it is either the gym or horseback riding.When asked if she is a girlie girl like most Disney princesses, Aaliyah called herself a tomboy."I don't usually dress like this," she said, referring to the feminine outfit she wore to the press event.Her pastimes include mostly sports-related activities, and also reading. As for music, forget show tunes like Under the Sea and Kiss the Girl. This young lady is into My Chemical Romance.It looks like this princess will chart her own path, and be an inspiration to others in her own way.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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