Cover Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and more inspiring Malaysian athletes who will be competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 this July
Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and more inspiring Malaysian athletes who will be competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 this July
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Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang will be making his fifth appearance at the Olympic Games, joining other inspiring Malaysian athletes competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 this month
On 2 July, we learned that Malaysia is expected to send a contingent of about 25 athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Despite being the smallest contingent in over 30 years, these athletes are not to be underestimated. They will compete in a diverse range of sports including swimming, weightlifting, badminton, golf, artistic gymnastics, archery, athletics, cycling, table tennis and taekwondo.
The Chef de Mission of the Malaysian Contingent to the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024, Datuk Hamidin Amin, believes that Malaysia’s best shot at its first Olympic gold will be from Malaysian cyclist Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and men’s badminton doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who have shown immense potential and promise.
See also: Bertrand Rhodict Lises: A dive into destiny
While Malaysians are no doubt disappointed at not being able to see Malaysian diving talent Pandelela Rinong at the Olympics this year, hopes are high for the men and women who have qualified so far, from ‘pocketrocketwoman’ Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, who will be making her debut at the Games to 21-year-old weightlifter Mohamad Aniq Kasdan.
Aquatics: Diving
Above 18-year-old Bertrand Rhodict Lises, the first Malaysian athlete to secure a spot in the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Photo: Daniel Adams/Tatler Malaysia)
18-year-old Bertrand Rhodict Lises, the first Malaysian athlete to secure a spot in the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Photo: Daniel Adams/Tatler Malaysia)
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The list starts with 19-year-old Bertrand Rhodict Lises, the first Malaysian athlete to secure a spot in the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024 back in July 2023 when he finished 10th in the Semi Final in the Diving Men’s 10m Platform event at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, where only the top 12 in the individual event would secure a spot to Paris 2024. Rhodict will compete in the Men’s 10m Platform in his first ever Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
On July 1, the Olympic Council of Malaysia announced that Bertrand has been given the honour of being Malaysia’s flag-bearer at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, alongside 25-year-old sailor Nur Shazrin Mohamad Latif at the opening ceremony of the Games, scheduled to be held on the Seine River with boats carrying the athletes for each national delegation.
And back for her third Olympic appearance is beloved national diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri, bringing her past experience competing at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 to represent Malaysia at this year’s Olympic Games in the Women’s 3m Springboard event. Winning Malaysians’ hearts and support through her tenacity and resilience–including overcoming multiple injuries that saw her withdrawing from the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships and other competitions–the spunky 24-year-old is back at the Games and stronger than ever.
Aquatics: Swimming
Above Khiew Hoe Yean (Photo: Daniel Adams)
Khiew Hoe Yean (Photo: Daniel Adams)
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Two Malaysian swimming talents will make their Olympic debut this year in the aquatics events under the universality quota. SEA Games 2021 gold medalist and Gen.T Malaysia 2023 honouree Khiew Hoe Yean will represent the nation in the Men’s 400m Freestyle category, while 17-year-old Tan Ruoxin will compete in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke event.
Sailing
Two Malaysians stand out in the sailing category. After securing the gold medal in the Sailing Women’s Single Handed Dinghy ILCA 6 at the Xiangshan Sailing Centre in Ningbo on September 2023, Nur Shazrin Mohamad Latif earned her ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics, marking her third consecutive appearance at the Olympics since Rio 2016.
Meanwhile, national sailor Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy, who is set to make his fourth appearance at the Games this July, almost missed out on his chance at securing a slot for the Olympics after coming in at 33rd place at the 2024 ILCA 7 Men World Championships in Adelaide in January. His final shot at qualifying came at the Last Chance Regatta 2024 in Hyeres, France, where he finished third in the Men’s Single-Handed Dinghy ILCA 7.
Shooting
Johnathan Wong Guanjie became the third Malaysian athlete to secure a place in the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024 after his performance at the 15th Asian Shooting Championships in 2023 in Changwon, Korea. Wong will be making his second appearance in the Olympics following his debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. “It was definitely not an easy journey towards winning a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” the 31-year-old wrote in an Instagram post last year. “Now, another chapter of my journey will begin, and it will not be over until my hard work has paid off.”
Archery
In November last year, 18-year-old Ariana Nur Dania clinched the gold medal at the World Archery Asian Continental Qualifier Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Bangkok. Securing her place in Paris 2024, she earned the gold medal in the Women’s Recurve Individual event after defeating Ziyodakhon Abdusattorova from Uzbekistan.
On June 14, 2024, more good news came as the Malaysian Women's Archery Team officially earned a historic ticket to compete in Paris for the Games. Winning 159-141 against Colombia in the quarterfinal round of the Final Olympic Qualifier held in Antalya, Turkey last month, the team comprises of Ariana along with Syaqiera Mashayikh (who competed in the last Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020) and Nurul Azreena Mohamad Fazil, who will make her Olympic debut this year.
Cycling
The first female road cyclist from Malaysia to compete in the Olympic Games, Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir was chosen by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation after Malaysia secured a slot after finishing second among Asian countries that had yet to qualify for Paris at the Asian Road Cycling Championships in Thailand.
On the track cycling front, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang makes a welcome comeback to the Games this year along with Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who will make his second appearance at the Olympics after Tokyo 2020.
Last but not least is newcomer Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, dubbed the ‘Pocketrocketwoman’. Nurul Izzah beat Japan’s Aki Sakai and clinched the bronze medal in the women’s sprint in the Asian Track Cycling Championships in New Delhi, India, in February 2024. She also becomes the second Malaysian woman cyclist to make the sprint podium in Asian championships history. Azizulhasni, Firdaus Sahrom and Nurul Izzah will compete in the Sprint and Keirin events.
See also: 19 Asian women in sport to know
Weightlifting
In April, national weightlifter Mohamad Aniq Kasdan earned a ticket to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 following his eighth placing in the Men’s 61 kg Category at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. The 21-year-old secured the top 8 position in what would be the final opportunity for the world’s best weightlifters to qualify for Paris, amassing a total lift of 290 kg, 125 kg in Snatch and 165 kg in Clean & Jerk.
Badminton
World champions and national doubles pair Aaron Chia and Sok Wooi Yik will compete in the men’s doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in what many hope will be Malaysia’s first Olympic gold. The badminton world champions’ performance at the All England Open championships in 2024 secured them important points in The Race to Paris Ranking. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the duo won Malaysia’s sole bronze medal.
Hopes are also high for women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who also qualified for the Paris Olympics after their performance at the All England Open. In their debut appearance at the Olympics, they will be the sole representatives for Malaysia in the women’s doubles in the showpiece event.
Meanwhile, Malaysian world No. 9 mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei are expected to be the sole pair representing Malaysia in the Mixed Doubles event in Paris, making their Olympic debut along with world No. 27 Goh Jin Wei, the two-time world junior champion who overcame various health challenges to stay in top shape for Paris 2024. In the men’s singles, world No. 10 Lee Zii Jia (pictured above) will make his second Olympic appearance this year after the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Golf
Above Gavin Kyle Green (Photo: Imran Sulaiman for Tatler Malaysia)
Above Sarawakian golfer Ashley Lau Jen Wen (Photo: Courtesy of Golf Australia)
Gavin Kyle Green (Photo: Imran Sulaiman for Tatler Malaysia)
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Last month, Malaysian golfer Gavin Kyle Green secured his spot at The Olympic Games after ranking 53rd in the Olympic Golf Ranking for the Men’s category on June 17, 2024, placing him among the top 60 athletes to earn their tickets to Paris. This will be Green’s third appearance following Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
And just last week, 24-year-old golfer Ashley Lau Jen Wen also earned her debut spot at the Games after being ranked 50th in the Olympic Golf Ranking for the Women’s category. Lau will make history this year as the first Sarawakian golfer to qualify for the Olympics. Green and Lau will represent Malaysia at golf event at Paris 2024, starting on August 1 for men and August 7 for women.
Congratulations to all our athletes who are sure to make Malaysia proud at the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024!
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
