SEPANG: Pint-sized Azlyn Farhana Muhammad Azmi Tan walked tall at the recently concluded Canoe Polo World Championships when she emerged as the top scorer in the women’s Under-21 category in Deqing, China.
The 20-year-old, who is 157-centimetre tall and weighs 50 kilogrammes (kg), stole the show against her physically bigger rivals to score 22 goals in 10 matches in the Oct 15-20 championships en route to guiding Malaysia to finish 10th out of 12 teams.
She said that while size matters in the sport, mastering the game and using techniques to confuse opponents proved to be the key to unlocking the opponent’s defence.
“The other players may look at me as a small-sized player but my mindset is what sets me apart, namely my agility and shooting prowess.
“If I play at the Asian level, I will definitely be targeted (by the opposition defence). But against the European sides, they may overlook me and not take Team Malaysia seriously,” she told reporters upon arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday.
The Johor-born Azlyn Farhana hopes the team’s performance in their maiden world meet will open the eyes of everyone to Malaysia’s potential to continue to shine in canoe polo on the international stage.
She also hopes that the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council will continue to support Malaysia’s canoe team by providing them with more exposure against world-class teams.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian men’s Under-21 team finished 17th out of 22 teams.
Spain defeated Denmark 3-1 to emerge as the men’s Under-21 canoe polo world champions while France beat Spain 4-2 to lift the women’s Under-21 crown.
