Qaedi Wins Fifth Round Of Liga Layar Malaysia

Nik Ashraf Qaedi Nik Azizan and his KFC/MYA Racing Team has won the ISAF Grade 3 Liga Layar Malaysia (LLM) Port Klang leg, thanks to excellent teamwork and being able to maintain their cool under pressure.

In his second appearance in an LLM final this year, the national sailor beat Jeremy Koo of Sime Darby Foundation – Koo Racing Team 2-0, with a neck-to-neck finish in both races. It was four years ago that Qaedi last won againt Koo and he was certainly elated to replicate the feat.

“My strategy was to keep my cool and be focussed on the task at hand. I’m happy to see the level of our performance as well as the other teams this time,” Qaedi said after the race.

While disappointed, Koo gave credit to his opponent for his achievement in Port Klang.

“Qaedi sailed pretty well, he managed to control me quite well and we tried to recover but couldn’t. I look forward to meeting him in Port Dickson, it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Koo, Malaysia’s representative for match-racing at the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.

For winning this leg of the LLM, Qaedi walked away with RM6,000 while runner-up Koo received RM4,000.

The day started off with Qaedi choosing to race Muhammad Shaiful Bakhtiar Shariff of SPA/JKR Sailing Team in the first semi-final. Close rivals Koo and Mohd Masyuri Rahmat of RMNMRT/151(ONESAILS) Racing Team battled in the second semi-final and all four teams had to contend with strong currents before Qaedi and Koo overcoming their respective opponents in two consecutive races.

In the petit-finals, Masyuri topped Shaiful to end his campaign in third place, taking home RM3,000 in prize money while Shaiful walked away with RM1,000.

Secretary of the Malaysia Yachting Association (MYA) Megat Fairuz Khairuddin, during the prize giving ceremony, congratulated all the teams and said that it is remarkable to see consistently high participation rate from sailors throughout the five legs of the LLM held so far.

“I believe that the core of the LLM programme is the people who are committed to make it a success,” Megat Fairuz said.

The next leg of LLM will be held in Port Dickson from 10 October 2014. The results from there will determine the team to represent Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup as well as the selection of the Malaysian Dream Team for an Asian qualifier event in November.

Final standings
1. Nik Ashraf Qaedi (KFC/MYA RT)
2. Jeremy Koo (Sime Darby Foundation – KRT)
3. Masyuri Rahmat (RMNMRT/151(ONESAILS) Racing Team)
4. Shaiful Bakhtiar (SPA/JKR Sailing Team)

About Liga Layar Malaysia
The Liga Layar Malaysia (LLM) is a league format match-sailing competition that was conceptualized to give an opportunity to local sailors to gain exposure through competitions held in various states in the country. Since its inception, there has been an improvement in the Malaysian sailing industry in terms of public interest and support, facilities, number of instructors, sailors and sailing training centres. This year, the LLM will be held at 8 different locations, namely Pulau Langkawi, Kedah; Lumut, Perak; Pulau Indah, Selangor; Putrajaya, Port Klang, Selangor; Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan; Pulau Duyong, Terengganu and Dayang Bay, Johor Bahru. The winner of each LLM leg will take home RM6,000 in prize purse, second and third place pockets RM4,000 and RM3,000 respectively while fourth and fifth place takes home RM1,000 each. One team will be selected in the penultimate leg of the competition to represent the country at the Monsoon Cup, which is the final leg of the World Match Racing Tour.