Nurul Ain makes a comeback to MMRC
KUALA LUMPUR,
Malaysia, Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Nurul Ain Md. Isa,
Champion of the Malaysian Match Racing Championship 2008 is making
a comeback in the sixth edition of the national match racing
championship to be held on 7-10 October at Pulau Duyong, Kuala
Terengganu. She makes it a total of 3 past champions of the event
vying for the title of Malaysian Match Racing Champion 2011. The
winner earns an automatic entry to the Monsoon Cup, the final leg
of the World Match Racing Tour.
The 26 year old Perak lass is the skipper of Ri-Yaz Heritage
Sailing Team, a team made up of Mohd Fairuz Mat Daud, the F&B
Manager at Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa, Mohd Izzaq
Amir, an executive of the resort and Abdul Rahim Mohd Zan with Mohd
Saifullah Mohd Esa, who was the bowman on Tiffany Koo's team,
reaching the final of the MMRC last year.
Nurul won the MMRC
back in 2008 with Hazwan Hazim, winner of the MMRC in 2009 as a
crew member. She has not competed in the event since her last
victory. "I took some time off to concentrate on completing my
studies back in 2009 and once I graduated, I went on to assist my
brother in his marine business in Lumut," said Nurul.
When asked the
reason behind her comeback, she only had Mr. Abdul Shaheed Yusof,
General Manager of Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa to thank
for. "He was very enthusiastic and urged me to return to this
Championship. He felt that being the only female skipper in this
regatta added a new dimension to the Ri-Yaz Heritage Sailing Team,"
enthused Nurul.
"We encourage our
staff to participate in various sporting activities like football,
badminton and futsal. Naturally, it only made sense that we had a
sailing team in the MMRC as well," said Shaheed when asked on his
decision to participate in the MMRC.
"We felt there was
a great opportunity that we could capitalize on, having the boats
and being the host venue. The Ri-Yaz sailing team has been
participating in the past few editions of the Heritage Bay Cup, and
winning one of the editions was all the push we needed to put
together a team for the MMRC. Nurul has a good track record in this
game and we are very excited that she has come onboard as the
skipper of the team. It will definitely be an advantage having a
past champion as the skipper," added Shaheed.
Although Nurul has
been sailing since she was 11 years old, she added that some of her
crew members are fairly new to match racing and needed as much help
as possible to be equipped with the skills and understand the
technicalities required to compete with the more experienced teams
like Koo Racing Team and Hazwan's Permai Hotel Sailing Team. "We
have not trained together since forming the team. The match racing
clinic that begins tomorrow will really help us with our
preparations for the regatta," added Nurul.
The Asian Match
Racing Championship will follow the Malaysian Match Racing
Championship on 12-15 October, with both winners automatically
gaining a spot to compete in the Monsoon Cup, which is the final
leg of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour circuit being held on 22-27
November, at the same venue in Terengganu.
About Malaysian Match Racing
Championship (MMRC)
Back in 2006, the Monsoon Cup was
the first race to have a series of qualifiers to encourage the
participation of young, upcoming local sailors in the professional
match race scene. Those qualifiers were the Malaysian Match Racing
Championship (MMRC) and the Asian Match Racing Championship (AMRC).
From 4 teams at its inception in 2006, the Malaysian Match Racing
Championship has now grown to have 13 local teams taking part in
2009. The winner will be the sole Malaysian representative at the
Monsoon Cup, the final and deciding leg of the World Match Racing
Tour. It is a chance to compete with the world's top match race
sailors.
Malaysian Match Racing
Championship Winners
2006: Tiffany Koo (MAS) - Team Selangor Gapurna
1
2007: Tiffany Koo (MAS) - UK Halsey
Gapurna
2008: Nurul Ain Md Isa (MAS) - Perak Sailing
Team
2009: Hazwan Hazim (MAS) - Taring
Pelangi
2010: Jeremy Koo (MAS) - Koo Racing Team Evernew
For more information, please
contact:
Audrey Lakai
Communications Department
World Match Racing Tour
+60-12-502-2206
[email protected]
SOURCE Monsoon Cup