Mohd Hazriq has been offered a place to further his studies in the US.
MOHD Hazriq Cik Mat Kilau aspires to follow in the footsteps of his hero, American hurdler and sprinter Grant Holloway.
The 18-year-old believes that he is on the right track to achieve his goal of representing Malaysia in world-class athletics competition.
“Last year, I represented Malaysia in competitions such as Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the South-East Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Bangkok.
“The South-East Asian Youth Athletics Championship was my proudest moment as I won gold medals in the 110m hurdles and 4x100m.”
For his achievements, Mohd Hazriq was named athlete of the year during the Johor Schools Sports Council (MSSJ) awards ceremony in Kempas.
Mohd Hazriq said ever since he was in primary school, he had always been active in athletics.
When asked about his future plans, he said that he was in the midst of training to represent Johor in the Malaysia Games (Sukma), which would be hosted by Sarawak later this year.
“I have also received an offer from a university in the United States to further my studies there.
“I hope to pursue my dream of becoming a professional hurdler, just like Holloway, who is an Olympian and silver medal winner in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I will decide after Sukma and hopefully it will help me qualify for the Olympics,” he said.
Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin, who launched the event, said the state government, together with Johor Education Department, would assist student athletes to reach their full potential.
