Hasli's Dream Finally Comes True

By Ahmad Muliady Ab Majid

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 (Bernama) -- Hasli Izwan Amir Hasan's dream of representing the country in the Olympic Games has finally come true after having to overcome many challenges in the past 21 years.

He has been nursing this dream since he was 10 years old and was impressed by the commitment and dedication of his idol Sabiahmad Abd. Ahad, a national shooter who took part in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Hasli Izwan has now become Malaysia's sole representative in shooting at the Olympics in Beijing, China from Aug 8 to 24.

The 31-year-old, who hails from Ipoh, Perak has gone through many obstacles to be ranked 11th in the world in the 25-metre rapid fire pistol event, qualifying him for the Beijing Olympics.

He bagged the silver medal at the Asian Championships in Kuwait last December, making him the first Malaysian shooter to qualify for the Olympics on merit.

"I have always been interested in extreme sports since I was a child. I started shooting in 1994 when I joined the Perak Shooting Club. I was a Form Five student then at the Sekolah Menengah Anderson in Ipoh," he told Bernama.

In the same year, he was chosen to represent the Perak shooting squad at the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) in Ipoh. From there, he started to get involved in international championships until he won his first gold medal in the rapid fire event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 21st SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur.

However, like other athletes, Hasli had his share of inconsistency when he only won a silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

Although he failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, it did not break his spirit to keep on improving.

On his target for the Beijing Olympics, Hasli said he hoped to improve his ranking and be one of the top 10 world best shooters in the 25-metre rapid fire pistol event.

He is currently undergoing training under coach Mohd Hashim Md Desa at the Langkawi International Shooting Range (Lisram).

Hasli, who is also the manager of Lisram, looks forward to a chance of competing against his idol, German shooting champion Ralf Schumann, at the coming Olympics.

"It will give me a chance to measure my capabilities against my idol," said Hasli, adding that after Beijing, his target would be to win at least one medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.



-- BERNAMA