JAKARTA - An eight-year-old Malaysian girl became the youngest athlete to take gold in Southeast Asian Games history after winning the water skiing tricks event on Thursday in front of a stunned crowd.
Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah claimed gold in the female final at the Jakabaring Lake in Palembang, which is co-hosting the Games with Jakarta, ahead of her nearest rival - who is aged 34.
Born on July 16, 2003, the young prodigy drew attention from spectators shocked at how short she was in comparison with her competitors, Malaysian state media reported.
"I was confident all the way," she was quoted as saying after her record feat. "I almost lost my balance in the first round but luckily I didn't." She qualified for the Games after winning the under-17s tricks event in the Asian Championships last month.
Her father Yoong Hanifah said he tried not to push his precocious daughter - who was able to water ski aged five - too hard.
"She's still a child. We don't want her to be pressured, but she enjoys training very much, it's like she's addicted to the sport," he said.
She is not the first age-defying medalist at this year's Games.
A 76-year-old Singaporean grandmother bagged two silver medals in bridge - the oldest person to make the podium at this year's competition.
Singapore's Lai Chun Ng, who is older than the Games she is taking part in, was a member of the contract bridge team that finished second on Tuesday.
The retired teacher also struck silver in the women's butler pairs on Monday, but fell agonisingly short of securing the cash bonus offered by Singapore's athletics bosses to gold medal winners.
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