Doctor. Elite-level swimmer with over a decade of experience. Certified swim coach and lifeguard. I teach students from all walks of life from kids (including special needs; deaf, autistic) to adults.

Learn more about AFIQ

• At what age did you start playing sports? Tell us about this time or moment in your life.

  Swimming was the very first sport I was introduced to as a child. The pool life started at 4 years old, the very first thing I learnt was a technique called the watermelon, where I would basically turn myself into a ball and float around the pool while holding my breath. Humble beginnings, which then led to the next level of swimming lessons at 7 years old, where I learnt all the basic four strokes, and somewhere along the way I developed enough speed and experience to enter the competitive swimming scene at the age of 10. I continued cultivating my skills and speed under the guidance of several levels of coaching and competition; the entry level, amateur level and eventually the national level, including training overseas in the UK.

• What are your favourite sports: those that you practice at a high level, a simple hobby, and a sport that you'd still like to discover?

  My favourite sports include swimming, swimming leisurely and swimming fast. Swimming is the sport where I used to practice at a national level and compete in international competitions. Beyond the pool, I do partake in other sports such as badminton and running, but mostly among friends and colleagues, so these sports I consider simple hobbies. As for a sport I'd like to discover would probably be callisthenics, I think it would be cool to have full control of the muscles in your body, and it has many applications in rock climbing, ninja warrior and land fitness challenges.

• What gives you the motivation and passion to pursue your sport?

  The need to be the best. Be it in studies, career and life, I have always been a person who gives my best in anything that I do. I take it day by day, put one foot in front of the other and try my best to make the most of the day. Swimming was a good way to help channel that need, and for the most part, the passion and work put into the sport resulted in objective success, and this includes all other aspects of my life beyond the pool.

• Do you have a sporting achievement that you're particularly proud of?

  It had to be my first-ever event sweep in the state swimming championships at the age of 15. Upon entering high school at the age of 13, I was introduced to a new level of competition, the state championships, where most schools in Kuala Lumpur would participate. Starting out, I was in awe of the sheer speed my competitors displayed, and the levels in the swimming motivated me to one day achieve the same feat. Year after year, I participated with not much success in the medal category, but slowly, my time was coming. I was making incremental improvements in my time without knowing. So began the 2015 Kuala Lumpur Interstate Swimming Championship, I started out unknown, but finished unforgettable. I would beat my competitors one by one, event by event, until I ended the championships as the most dominant male swimmer in my category. I remember it to this day, and it's the proudest moment in my swimming life as it unlocked the doors and was the catalyst for levelling up my swimming career.

• How have your achievements and challenges made you a better sportsperson?

  Over two decades later, the pool and water remain an integral part of my life. I have learnt many lessons in my years competing at the highest level. They are lessons that have helped develop many applicable traits and skills that go beyond the pool, including discipline, time management and grit. All of which help make me not just a better sportsperson but a person as a whole.

• If you had to go for a jog with a famous athlete, who would you choose? And what questions would you ask them?

  Muhammad Ali. Maybe not in this life, but the next. Behind the power and gracefulness of his movements in the cage is a very intellectual and wise mind.
  
  The question I would like to ask is: Aside from hard work and discipline, is there definitely something that separates the champion above the others? Sometimes it's hunger, sometimes it's anger, sometimes it's ego. I'd like to ask what emotion or feeling motivated his reign as the champion?
  
  Next is asking him if being a people's champion was a title bestowed upon him for his heroics beyond the cage. With that amount of pressure and fame, what sort of things would he think about to keep him grounded?

• How do you help people stay motivated?

  Be the best you. It's ok if other people can do something better or faster.
  
  I'll ask them, "Did you give it your all"? They'll say, "Yes". "Did you do absolutely everything right accordingly"? They'll say, "Yes". Then I will say, "Good, you absolutely gave your best, and that's what matters".
  
  Focus on yourself, and as long as you have done whatever it is in your power to give, you should not despair or regret.
  
  Also remember that this moment will pass. Sometimes in spite of doing everything right, things can still go wrong. In a world where we can only control our actions and not much of anything else, you will have bad days but also good ones too. Happy moments and joyful ones, they will all come to pass.
  
  Good or bad, happy or sad. All these moments will pass. It's not a depressing statement, it's to remind us to cherish the good days while they last and be hopeful of better ones when times are tough.

• What makes you a Superprof in sports?

  I'm dedicated, precise and efficient. Through my cumulative years of experience in swimming, I can help identify problems and provide immediate solutions to solve them. When it comes to swimming, I believe that I am an excellent teacher, in other words, a Super Prof.