Get to know the Malaysian athletes who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Malaysia boleh!
We’re just over a month away from the beginning of the Paris 2024 Olympics and the excitement has been palpable! Happening from 26 July to 11 August, this year’s Games is set to be yet another stunning spectacle of sport and skill as we get to witness the world’s best athletes in their elements. As of 2 July 2024, there will be 25 Malaysian athletes at the Paris 2024 Games competing across eight sports. The final list of Malaysian athletes going to the Olympics will be confirmed in the next few weeks.
This year will mark our country’s 17th appearance at the Summer Games, with the exception of the 1980 Olympics. Though our contingent may be smaller than that of recent years, it sure does pack a punch with the likes of Lee Zii Jia, Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang, and more, ready to compete for gold. Read on for a brief introduction to the Malaysian stars who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
ARIANA NUR DANIA MOHAMAD ZAIRI (ARCHERY)
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At just 18-years-old, Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi has achieved her Olympic dream by qualifying for this year’s Games. Her gold medal at the Paris 2024 World Archery Asian Continental Qualifier Tournament 2023 in Thailand meant immediate qualification for the Games. During this competition, she beat Uzbekistan’s Ziyodakhon Abdusattorova with a score of 7-3 in the Women’s Recurve event, which she will be competing in at the Olympics. The teenage star is currently training under former national archer and Beijing 2008 Olympian, Marbawi Sulaiman OLY.
NURUL AZREENA FAZIL (ARCHERY)
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Nurul Azreena Fazil, alongside teammates Syaqiera Mashayikh and Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, has qualified for the archery Women’s team event. This marks the first time Malaysian archers have made it through to the Games’ stage for this specific competition. Their winning score of 159-141 against Colombia during the quarterfinals of the Final Olympic Qualifier in Turkey on 14 June 2024 secured their spot. Her Paris 2024 appearance will be her Olympic debut at just 20 years old.
SYAQIERA MASHAYIKH (ARCHERY)
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The third and final member of the women’s archery team is Syaqiera Mashayikh from Johor. This will be the second time Syaqiera is making an appearance at The Games. At Tokyo 2020, the archery specialist competed in the Women’s individual and Mixed Team events. She became the third Malaysian woman archer to ever make the Olympics with her Tokyo appearance, following Mon Redee Sut Txi in Athens 2004 and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim in London 2012.
MUHD AZEEM FAHMI (ATHLETICS)
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National sprinter Muhd Azeem Fahmi is making his Olympic debut this year! He secured his spot through the one and only universality ticket AKA the “wildcard” for the 100m race. The 20-year-old is currently Malaysia’s fastest man. In 2022, he set the national record of 10.09 seconds. He then went on to bag the bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games with a time of 10.11 seconds. Azeem is currently a student-athlete at Auburn University in Alabama studying exercise physiology and kinesiology.
LEE ZII JIA (BADMINTON)
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Lee Zii Jia has become something of a household name in recent years, representing the country in the Men’s Singles event. His career in badminton has been nothing short of commendable, having won the All England title in 2021 as well as the more recent Thailand Open 2024. He made an appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he was eliminated from the Round of 16 after a defeat at the hands of China’s Chen Long. At 26 years old, Lee currently ranks at World No. 7 and we hope to see him move up the ladder with some wins at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
AARON CHIA AND SOH WOOI YIK (BADMINTON)
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A force to be reckoned with, this badminton duo quickly won the hearts of Malaysians after their smashing performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where they took home the bronze medal after a nail-biting game against Indonesia’s Ahsan and Setiawan. In 2022, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik returned to Tokyo and subsequently won the gold at the year’s World Championships for men’s doubles. Back in March of this year, they won silver at the All England Open. As of May 2024, the two Malaysian shuttlers rank at World No. 5. Known for their sheer power and merciless defense skills, Chia and Soh are current favourites to bring home the gold from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
GOH JIN WEI (BADMINTON)
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Set to represent Malaysia during the Women’s Singles event, World No. 33 Goh Jin Wei is making her main Olympic debut at this year’s Games. She competed in the 2018 Youth Olympics, where she clinched the gold medal against China’s Wang Zhiyi. In September 2021, Goh announced her retirement from professional badminton, citing health issues after a surgery in 2019. However, she returned to the team as an independent player in June 2022 and continued to reiterate her inability to commit fully due to her existing medical problems. Just four months after rejoining the team, Goh reached her first-ever BWF World Tour final at the Vietnam Open and brought home the silver medal.
PEARLY TAN AND THINAAH MURALITHARAN (BADMINTON)
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Our women’s doubles duo is also making their Olympic debut at this year’s Games. Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan have been rising through the ranks in recent years, winning the gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. More recently, they reached the finals at the 2023 Malaysian Masters and 2023 Hong Kong Open—bagging the silver medal at both competitions. The last time they were in Paris was during the 2022 French Open, during which they won gold. The national Women’s Doubles pair currently stands at No. 13 on the world rankings.
CHEN TANG JIE AND TOH EE WEI (BADMINTON)
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Another pair of Olympic debutants, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei will be Malaysia’s representatives in the Mixed Doubles event. Currently ranked at World No. 9, the duo recently won silver during the Swiss Open at the Super 300 level. Before that, they also won silver at the Thailand Masters. Both players started their careers in the Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles events before eventually finding their calling in the mixed doubles competition.
NUR AISYAH MOHAMAD ZUBIR (CYCLING)
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Our sole representative in the road cycling competition is Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir, who will be competing in the Women’s Road Race event. The Malaysian National Cycling Federation selected Nur Aisyah after having secured a quota place in the events through the 2023 Asian Championships in Rayong, Thailand. She is currently training in Belgium in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
DATO’ AZIZULHASNI AWANG (CYCLING)
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Nicknamed the “The Pocket Rocketman”, Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang is prepared to make his record-breaking fifth appearance at Paris 2024 this summer. He is the first Malaysian to appear on the Olympics stage five separate times and will be racing in both the Men’s Keirin and Sprint events. At Tokyo 2020, he took home the silver medal in a keirin race that had fellow Malaysian athletes and fans on the edge of their seats. Before that, he won bronze in the same event at Rio 2016 and now has his sights on gold.
MUHAMMAD SHAH FIRDAUS SAHROM (CYCLING)
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Another member of the men’s track cycling team will be Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom. Paris 2024 will be Shah Firdaus’s second appearance at the Games. He won double bronze models at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Earlier this year, he bagged another bronze at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in February despite sustaining serious injuries to his knees and shoulder just weeks prior. During Paris 2024, Malaysians can catch him in both the Men’s Sprint and Keirin events.
NURUL IZZAH IZZATI MOHD ASRI (CYCLING)
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Alongside the other two Malaysians on the track cycling team, Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri stands at just 1.52m but is not to be underestimated. Her nickname “The Pocket Rocketwoman” is a testament to her speed and power on the track. At the 2024 Asian Track Cycling Championships in New Delhi, Nurul Izzah put on a gold medal performance, winning top prize in the Women’s 500m and Keirin events. In preparation for the Summer Games, Nurul Izzah has been attending training camps in Belgium, United Kingdom and Spain. Initially aiming to make the 2028 Olympics, qualifying for the 2024 Olympics came as a pleasant shock to the track cycling star. Malaysians can watch her race her heart out in the Women’s Sprint and Keirin events.
BERTRAND RHODICT LISES (DIVING)
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Hailing from Sarawak, Bertrand Rhodict Lises is making his first-ever Olympics appearance in Paris. Competing in the Men’s 10m Platform event, Lises is the one of two members on the Malaysian diving team headed for the Games. He was the first Malaysian to qualify for the Olympics in July 2023, when he ranked 10th at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Only those who make the top 12 in this event are granted a spot in the Olympics. He also won bronze at his first ever Asian Games in Hangzhou. At 18 years old, Lises is one of the youngest of this year’s Malaysian athletes on their way to Paris.
NUR DHABITAH SABRI (DIVING)
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Malaysia’s diving sweetheart has once again made it to the Olympics! Though her qualification came later in the game, Nur Dhabitah Sabri’s qualification announcement has been met with immense cheer and support from Malaysians. The 24-year-old diver made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 in the 10 m platform and 3 m synchronised springboard events. She appeared again in Tokyo 2020, competing in the Women’s 3m springboard and finished fourth. At Paris 2024, she will be fighting for a medal in the Women’s 3m springboard event again and is one of two Malaysian athletes in the diving competition. The decision to send Dhabitah to the games came after World Aquatics had given Malaysia Aquatics an unused quota for the event on 28 June 2024.
ASHLEY LAU (GOLF)
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Sarawakian Ashley Lau has been named as yet another Malaysian Olympian making her debut at the Paris 2024. The 24-year-old University of Michigan alumnus qualified for The Games with her 50th place finish in the Olympic Golf Ranking of the Women’s category. During her tenure with her university’s team, the Michigan Wolverines, Lau was named Big Ten Golfer of the Year in 2022. After graduating, Lau went on to make her LPGA debut on home turf at the Maybank Championship in November 2023. In February of this year, she won the Women’s Victorian Open in Australia during the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
GAVIN KYLE GREEN (GOLF)
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Gavin Kyle Green will be making his third Olympic appearance at Paris 2024. His qualification on 18 June 2024 made him the 21st of the Malaysian athletes headed to this year’s Summer Games. The 30-year-old golfer has appeared at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. During his university career at the University of New Mexico, Green was named Mountain West Conference golfer of the year not once, but twice. He ranked 53rd in the Olympic Golf Ranking for the Men’s category, in which the top 60 athletes are granted a place in The Games.
KHAIRULNIZAM AFENDY (SAILING)
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Khairulnizam Afendy’s Paris 2024 appearance will mark the fourth consecutive time the national sailor has made it to the Olympic stage. This year, he will be competing in the men’s Single-handed Dinghy event with the ILCA 7. He secured his spot by finishing third at the Last Chance Regatta 2024 that was held in Hyeres, France. As you can tell by its name, the competition was Khairulnizam’s final opportunity at qualifying for the Olympics. In 2022, Khairulnizam won second place at the Asian Sailing Championship in Abu Dhabi.
NUR SHAZRIN MOHD LATIF (SAILING)
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Competing in the women’s ILCA 6 event is Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif, who will be making her third consecutive appearance at the Olympics. During Tokyo 2020, she competed in the Laser Radial event and finished 26th, an improvement from her 33rd in Rio 2016. This time, she qualified for the Paris Olympics after landing the gold medal in the women’s Single-handed Dinghy event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. This achievement made her the second of the Malaysian athletes to qualify for this year’s Olympics. Though she is currently nursing an injury on her wrist, she hopes to make it to the waters in Paris.
JONATHAN WONG (SHOOTING)
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Jonathan Wong returns to the Olympics this year after making his debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he finished 28th. He was the third of the Malaysian athletes to qualify for this year’s Games after finishing in fourth place at the 15th Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, South Korea. He will be competing in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, the 31-year-old made it to the finals in his event for the first time and finished sixth.
STEVE KHIEW HOE YEAN (SWIMMING)
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Another Olympic debutant is national swimmer Steve Khiew Hoe Yean. He may only be 21 years of age but he is a force to be reckoned with in the pool. He currently holds a slew of national records, including the 1,500m freestyle record previously set by Jeffrey Ong in 1991. In April 2024, Khiew also broke his personal best as well as the Malaysian record in the 400m and 800m Freestyle events at the Australian Open Championships. At the Paris Olympics, Khiew will be competing in the 400m Freestyle competition.
TAN ROUXIN (SWIMMING)
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The second member of the Malaysian swim team headed to Paris is Tan Rouxin, who is also making her Olympic debut. The Johorean swimmer has been nothing short of impressive in her recent races. For this year’s Games, she will be appearing in the 100m Breaststroke event. Later this month, she’ll be heading to Denmark—alongside Khiew—to train with its national team in anticipation of Paris 2024. The Olympic swimming competitions will be held at the Paris La Defense Arena from 27 July to 4 August 2024.
ANIQ KASDAN (WEIGHTLIFTING)
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Making his Olympic debut in the Men’s −61 kg event is Aniq Kasdan, a 21-year-old weightlifter. He qualified for Paris 2024 in April after placing eighth in the Men’s 61kg event at the International Weightlifting Federation’s World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. The Thai competition was the final opportunity for weightlifters to qualify for this year’s Games. In Phuket, he accumulated a total lift of 290kg, with 125kg in Snatch and 165kg in Clean & Jerk. He was previously the first ever Malaysian to medal in the World Weightlifting Championships with his bronze in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Stay tuned for more Paris 2024 coverage here.
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