Sunday July 5, 2009

Channel bid swimmer shows the Malaysia Boleh! spirit

EUROFILE WITH CHOI TUCK WO

JUST hours after battling treacherous tidal currents and the biting-cold waters of the English Channel, Zahra Masoumah Abdul Halim was back to her bubbly self.

The 17-year-old was chattering excitedly away. Her face flushed with joy as she burst into impish laughter when recalling snippets of her channel experience.

“I saw some purple jellyfish. Romantic lah, must be French,” she quipped, referring to her close encounter with the jellyfish during her aborted attempt to conquer the channel four days ago.

Obviously smitten by the colourful sea creatures, Zahra said they were unlike those she had ever seen before. Those in Malaysia were mostly orange and white, she said.

While she appeared to have recovered quickly from the swim, dad Abdul Halim Manaf – who followed her in a boat – seemed more exhausted.

Undaunted: Zahra (centre) holding up the Jalur Gemilang along with (from left) her parents Haniza and Abdul Halim as well as Malaysian Deputy High Commissioner to Britain Datuk Rustam Yahaya and his wife Datin Dr Musrifah Sapardi before the startoff in Dover. — Picture courtesy of ABDUL HALIM MANAF

He looked like someone who had been tossed and turned by the strong currents!

Even Zahra’s 12-year-old brother Salman Ali Shariati, who swam 43km with her between Langkawi and Kuala Perlis two years ago, seemed to be mentally affected.

Fiercely attached to his eldest sister, Salman was visibly upset that her attempt had been thwarted by the unfavourable tide and wind conditions.

“When he saw Zahra crying, he went to sit beside her and told her maybe it’s God’s will that they have to swim together like the last time,” said mum Haniza Mohamed.

Such is the incredible support that the parents and their five children have for one another, particularly in their passion for swimming.

Biggest Challenge

Yes, it was not the end of the world for Zahra. The channel is, after all, the greatest test for a long-distance swimmer. Success could be snatched from the grasp in the first few attempts even for the more experienced swimmers.

Indeed, two Cubans had to be pulled out while another gave up due to sheer fatigue just hours before her swim. And they were all males.

As you can imagine, Zahra’s just a teenage girl facing the biggest challenge of her life when she plunged into the 16°C waters for the epic swim.

As rightly mentioned by boat pilot Paul Foreman, she is one gutsy young lady who has done Malaysia proud by being able to stay in the cold water for nearly 13 hours.

“She could have easily swum the channel but the tide kept pushing her back to England,” said Foreman, who is with the English Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation.

Yet deep in her heart, Zahra nurtured the belief that she still had the stamina to continue going on for another 12 hours or so.

For her, it was not so much the chilly waters but the powerful tidal forces that thwarted her attempt to become the first Malaysian girl to swim across the channel.

Indeed, she was tossed sideways by the tides and “swept towards the Netherlands in the North Sea”, instead of her destination – Calais, France.

Crushing Blow

But Zahra’s face lit up when she recalled the shouts of encouragement from Foreman, the federation’s observer known only as Michelle, and a bunch of Malaysians on board the boat.

To cries of “Go, Zahra go,” and “C’mon Zahra, You can do it!” she was more determined than ever to make it across the channel.

Besides the moral support, she also received an inspirational card with the words “Never, Never, Never Give Up” from the caravan park operator in Varne Ridge, Dover.

In fact, she was so anxious to get over with the swim that she kept popping up her head, scanning the horizon for signs of the Calais lighthouse.

But the waves were too high, and she could hardly see anything apart from the occasional P&O ferries that ply between Dover and Calais.

After seemingly endless hours of battling the tides and waves and making little progress, the harsh reality finally set in.

At the pace she was going – about 30 strokes a minute – she might have to be in the water for another 12, 15 or 18 hours. Even then, there was no guarantee she would make it across, and there is only so much the body can take.

At 6.39pm on Wednesday (1.39am Thursday Malaysian time), the crushing blow came when the pilot elected to get her out of the water.

The next hour or so saw a frustrated Zahra crying uncontrollably as she was taken back to shore.

“I’m very geram (exasperated) that I had to give up after covering more than half the distance,” she said, adding she felt that she had let the country down.

Haniza, however, reassured her eldest daughter that it was all right as she had done her best.

Indeed, Zahra can still hold her head high. She can share her unforgettable experience with fellow Malaysians, and the sea will be there if she wants to do it again.

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