KUALA LUMPUR: Former world champion bowler Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam will be celebrating his first Hari Raya Aidilfitri as a husband this year.
But Hakim, who tied the knot with sweetheart Mas Haziqah Saifuddin in February, will not have too long to celebrate as he will be competing in the Sonic International Classic in Singapore on April 18-21.
"Yes, I am looking forward to celebrating Hari Raya with Mas this year. We will be going 'balik kampung' to Perak on the second day raya," said Hakim recently.
"I have continued to train both on the lanes and in the gym throughout Ramadan, with some adjustments, as I have a tournament coming up soon in Singapore.
"We have already been informed of the oiling patterns for the tournament and have been practicing them here so we can have a decent idea of what to expect.
"Hopefully, we will be able to do well there."
Mas understands very well the sacrifices Hakim has to make as a professional athlete as she is also a former athlete herself.
She is a former state-level taekwondo athlete who competed in two editions of the Malaysia Games.
The engineering graduate also worked at the National Sports Institute for roughly three years developing new technology which can help athletes improve their performances.
She recently transitioned into the finance industry.
"It can be challenging with the training and travelling and so on but I try my best to support Hakim in his career, I just want him to be happy," said Mas.
The duo will appear in an episode of NST's Beyond The Headlines show which will be released on the NST Online YouTube channel soon.
