Teenager Dhuha eyes splashing time at worlds

PETALING JAYA: National swimmer Mohd Dhuha Zulfikry (pic) was all smiles after being named Best Young Athlete at the 2024 Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM)-100Plus awards ceremony yesterday.

The 17-year old was overjoyed with the recognition and is now setting his sights on reaching the final of the World Junior Championships from Aug 19-24 in Otopeni, Romania.

‘’I feel very happy as this is one of the highest awards I have received in my career,” said Dhuha, who won six gold medals for the Federal Territories last year at the Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Sarawak.

“This award will be a motivation for me to do well at the world juniors, where I hope to make the finals as I will compete in four events (200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle,” he said.

Competing in tournaments and managing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia studies is hard and Dhuha admits to feeling the pressure of meeting the demands of both.

‘’This year is quite difficult as I’ll be sitting for my SPM later this year but I will try to balance the demands of both sports and my studies,” said Dhuha.

“It’s difficult because it takes a long time to train as it is both in the morning and the evening, and I only study when I have time. It can be mentally draining.

“Physically though, my condition has been good as I go to the gym once a week and my training has been fruitful.”