Skip to main content

Iron Boy To Swim Melaka Straits Ahead Of English Channel Challenge

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Eleven-year-old swimmer, Salman Ali Shariati Abdul Halim, nicknamed Iron Boy, will brave 49 nautical miles across the Straits of Melaka on Dec 30 in preparing to conquer the English Channel next June.

He will start his swim at Pulau Rupat in Sumatra, Indonesia, and finish at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

"According to our plan, Salman will take between 20 to 24 hours to complete the swim," Seven Continents Extreme Expedition Club chairman Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarudin told reporters here today.

He said Salman would make the straits swim in a cage because of dangers posed by jellyfish, sea snakes and other creatures.

Salman would be accompanied by his sister, Zahrah Ma'sounah, 17, for this practice session costing RM60,000 per person, he said.

He said Salman would then focus on the 37 nautical miles English Channel in trying to become the second youngest swimmer in the world to achieve the feat.

Muhamad Muqharabbin, who climbed Mount Everest in 2004, said for the English Channel feat, Salman would swim with Zahrah and himself, under the guidance of Lennard Lee, the second Malaysian to swim cross the channel after Datuk Malik Mydin.

"We may go there two or three months earlier for training and to get used to the cold weather," he added.

Meanwhile, Salman said he was ready for the Melaka Straits swim as he had undergone intensive training.

"I train at least four hours a day in Ipoh whereby I swim for two hours and cycle for another two hours to increase my stamina," he said.

A dinner function to launch the mission will be held on Dec 3 at Dewan Perdana Felda here. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak is scheduled to attend it which also serves to collect funds for the mission.

-- BERNAMA

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rajagobal Let Off The Hook

PETALING JAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal was let off the hook by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) Disciplinary Committee after finding no evidence that he had violated FAM's Article 88, as claimed. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had decided not to charge Rajagobal after carefully analysing the video of the post-match press conference by the 56-year-old coach. "After listening to the recording of the post-match press conference, we decided to drop the charge against Rajagopal as he did not make such a statement. "Maybe his (Rajagobal) assessment and comments of the match was misconstrued by the media. There was no mention of the FAM policy throughout his comments," said Taufik after emerging from a three-hour Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, here, Wednesday. Rajagobal who does not mince his words when asked to com...

Atlet Tempuhi Empat Kejohanan Besar Sebelum Olimpik Rio 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Mei (Bernama) -- Empat temasya sukan penting yang dijadual berlangsung mulai Disember ini hingga 2015 menjadi medan persiapan atlet negara sebelum menghadapi cabaran Sukan Olimpik 2016 di Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, kata Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin Jumaati. Kejohanan berkenaan ialah Sukan SEA di Myanmar pada Disember, Sukan Asia 2014 di Incheon, Korea Selatan, Sukan Komanwel 2014 di Glasgow, Scotland dan Sukan SEA 2015 di Singapura. Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas melawat Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) di Bukit Jalil di sini, Khairy berkata kesemua temasya sukan itu dilihat amat penting dalam memastikan impian negara untuk membawa pulang pingat emas Olimpik pertama menjadi kenyataan. "Kita di Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) mahupun MSN akan memastikan semua atlet mendapat bantuan sewajarnya dalam melakukan persiapan ke arah membawa pulang pingat emas pertama negara di Rio de Janeiro, Brazil nanti," katanya. Dalam perkemb...

Uber Cub: Malaysian squad Can Spring A Surprise - Ahmad Shabery

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek remains confident that the national Uber Cup squad can spring a surprise when Malaysia hosts the Thomas and Uber Cup finals at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16. He said despite not being the favourite, the women's team was able to surprise everyone by winning the gold medal at the Laos SEA Games. "I am confident they (Uber Cup team) will be able to produce a similar surprise. Not only are they capable of reaching the semi-final, they can go further," he told reporters after having lunch with national shuttlers here Thursday. National badminton Team manager Datuk Syed Abu Bakar Abdullah who echoed the minister's confidence said: "In Laos, nobody expected the women's team to win the world, so why not the Uber Cup? All they need to do is try their very best." Women's team captain Wong Pei Tty said she and her team-mates have set a target of r...