VETERAN SPORTS WRITER RECALLS MUHAMMAD ALI'S MALAYSIA VISIT

=     VETERAN SPORTS WRITER RECALLS MUHAMMAD ALI'S MALAYSIA VISIT                 By R. Vikneswaran      Veteran sports writer George Das remembers boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who died Friday aged 74, as a friendly sportsman who liked to take charge at his press conferences.   Recalling his coverage of Ali during his visit to Malaysia in June 1975 for a match against European champion, Joe Bugner, he said Ali was without a doubt, the greatest athlete of the century.     Das, 69, who was then working for English daily, The Star, described Ali as a 'people's champion' for his close relationship with fans and as a person who had no qualms about mingling with them.     "I don't think anyone can come close to him in terms of personality and professionalism as an athlete and, on top of that, as a human being. He was a magnificent sportsman and a showman," he told Bernama.     Nicknamed 'The Greatest', Ali died in Phoenix, Arizona. Reports said the three-time world heavyweight champion was suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease.       Elaborating, Das said that during Ali's over a month-long stay in the country, the light-heavyweight gold medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics never failed to impress journalists covering his events.     "Sometimes, there was no need to ask questions because Ali would come up with all kind of things. He was so fast with words, very articulate," he said, noting that Ali would also recite poems.     "Usually at normal press conferences, the team managers would talk a lot, but not with Ali. He would take charge of and bring excitement to press conferences," he added.     Ali, he said, had also planted a rambutan tree in the vicinity of Masjid Negara, besides rubbing shoulders with Malaysian royalties and dignitaries, including having an audience with Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, who was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong then.     Das recalled that the boxing match held at the Merdeka Stadium was an electrifying affair, as Malaysians, some of whom did not even like boxing, got to see Ali's scintillating performance in the ring.     Another journalist, A. Subramaniam, 58, expressed sadness over Ali's passing, saying that the American boxer had left an indelible impression for many Malaysians.     "I was just a 17-year-old student then. What I remember most was that all the roads in Kuala Lumpur were empty because people went to watch his match at the stadium, as well as on television.     "That kind of environment had never happened or been felt before," he said.     Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky on Jan 17 1942.     He was remembered for, among others, his resistance to the American war effort in Vietnam, besides his speed and punishing punches among an array of skills that led to the "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" catchphrase.     In his 61-fight career, Ali won 56, with 37 wins by KO.     -- BERNAMA

Yuhaizam Yahaya, From Helicopter Crash Victim To Paralympian

By Vikneswaran Raman

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- The Nuri helicopter crash in 2004 may have physically disabled Major Yuhaizam Yahaya, but it certainly has not crippled his spirit.

The former Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) pilot, who became paraplegic due to the incident, is now a national paralympian in archery.

The gold medal winner at the Asean Para Games (APG) 2011 in Solo, Indonesia for the men's Individual Compound Open, is now looking to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, that will be held from Sept 7-19 this year.

The World Qualification Tournament in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, from June 11-20, would be the final chance for Yuhaizam and other national paralympians to qualify for the event.

"I am currently training hard to qualify, but the competition is stiff. At the moment, I am focusing on bringing up my score to at least be at par with the international athletes.

"My current score can ensure a win at the Asian level, but it's not enough for the international level. However it goes, I will try my best to qualify for Rio," said the 45-year-old archer.

PERFORMANCE AND PRECISION

The wheelchair-bound Yuhaizam is confident that the archery equipment borrowed from his coach Khairul Fadly Jamaludin would help boost his performance in the Czech Republic.

The RMAF officer, who has been seconded to the National Sports Council since 2012, however said that the price of the equipment had little influence on an archer's performance.

"I had previously used a PSE bow. Now I use a Hoyt. After some experimentation, I found myself more comfortable with the Hoyt.

"An archer does not need an expensive bow to shoot accurately, because many use cheaper equipment and can still achieve great results.

"Hitting the target accurately has a lot to do with an archer's skill. If an equipment suits us it will provide better comfort and more confidence," he said, admitting that the price of archery equipment could reach up to thousands of ringgit.

TRAGEDY

Yuhaizam, who has been with the RMAF for 10 years, is the only survivor of the crash on March 5, 2004. Co-pilot Captain Dicky Rishi Chin and Sgt Zailani Ab Kadir were killed in the incident that was believed to have been caused by technical problems.

The aircraft from the Butterworth RMAF Base, typically used for search and rescue operations, was on a daily flight routine when it crashed.

Yuhaizam, who held the title of Captain then (before being promoted to Major in 2012), admitted he thought long and hard about his future before returning to the air force after the tragic incident.

He decided to pursue the Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work) programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2011 and received the Gold Award for Best Student from the university, in honour of his academic achievements during his three-year programme.

"I started archery in my third year at USM after several friends coaxed me to join. My interest eventually deepened to the point that I was able to represent the country at the APG in Solo in 2011 where I won gold.

"After that, I was given the chance to join the National Sports Council as a full-time athlete," said the father of four children who hails from Kamunting, Perak.

Yuhaizam has also won bronze for an individual event and silver for a team event at the 2014 APG in Myanmar. However, he failed to bring home a medal during his debut at the 17th Asian Para Games held in Incheon, South Korea, in the same year.

BERNAMA