Ahmad Mikhail Damsal Abdul Hakim was greeted by his family and supporters at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) after bringing home a silver medal for Malaysia in the Dance World Cup 2023 held in Braga, Portugal, recently.

Speaking to reporters at the KKIA arrival hall on Saturday, Ahmad Mikhail said he did not expect to win second place in the prestigious competition.

“I honestly thought I would end up in fourth or fifth place after seeing the competition backstage. There are a lot of fierce competitors this year, especially from Taiwan and Russia,” he said.

The SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu student said he had trained for two months and faced various challenges leading up to the competition.

“The journey itself was tough. We flew from here to Kuala Lumpur, then Abu Dhabi and Madrid before arriving at Braga.

“I wanted to challenge myself so I participated solo, which took me some time to get used to as I used to train in groups.

“The way I dealt with these obstacles is by emptying my mind and praying before I get on the stage,” he said.

Ahmad Mikhail had presented a two-minute dance titled Mag’Igal in the competition’s National and Folklore category, portraying the character of the Sea Prince Warrior which mimicks the movement of the sea eagle, a dance of the Suluk tribe popular in Sabah’s East Coast.

He explained that he felt the Suluk tribe is often overlooked in the international dance scene and it was his responsibility to represent his tribe not only through the dance but also through his donning of traditional Suluk outfits in the competition.

The 14-year-old further said that he had even stayed up until two to three in the morning to research the lifestyle of the Sea Prince Warrior so that he can better convey their feelings and emotions.

“My advice to those who wants to follow in my footsteps is always listen to your coach and do not be lazy as nothing will come out of it,” he added.

Ahmad Mikhail’s mother, Normala Othman, expressed her happiness on her son’s achievement.

The single mother said that she herself faced tribulations in her son’s journey to the silver medal.

“Our main challenge was funding. We did receive some contributions from Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and other government ministries but it was insufficient due to the high currency exchange rate.

“We had received around RM30,000 in assistance but our total spending amounted to RM40,000. I had to borrow money to buy the flight tickets. I am pleading to any concerned parties who can provide further aid,” she said.

Also present at KKIA were SM Lok Yuk Kota Kinabalu representatives and Adam Mikhail’s mentor Jaffad Kumah.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by JEGATHISAN SIVANESAN

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