Asyiil Raziin’s inspiring journey in para swimming

Asyiil Raziin Razman, a 16-year-old para swimmer from Kuala Lumpur, has defied expectations to become a champion swimmer. Born with learning difficulties, she discovered swimming as a means of rehabilitation. What began as therapy soon became a passion for the young athlete.

Her talent quickly rose to the forefront, as shown at the 2024 Para Sukma in Sarawak, where she secured a gold medal in the women's S14 100m freestyle, breaking the previous Games record with a time of 1:23.35. Asyiil has also been honored with the Anugerah Puteri Para at the Anugerah Sukan KPM-MSSM-Milo 2025.

Swimming provides Asyiil with a constant goal to strive towards, motivating her beyond simple medal achievements. She competes as a para swimmer under the Intellectual Impairment (S14) classification, part of the Learning Difficulty/Intellectual Impairment category. Her training regimen is rigorous, involving daily pool sessions and strength and conditioning exercises.

Outside of her pool training, Asyiil's parents ensure she maintains proper nutrition, rest, and sleep. The sport has taught her discipline, patience, and self-confidence, transforming her from a once-afraid and insecure teenager into a confident athlete. Her biggest challenges include maintaining consistency and positivity in the face of setbacks, understanding that not every day will be perfect and that setbacks are part of the journey.

Her inspirations include her parents, who have made sacrifices to support her dreams, her coaches who push her to improve, and fellow para-athletes, whose achievements show that challenges need not hinder success. Asyiil believes para sports in Malaysia have improved, with greater attention and recognition for para-athletes. However, she believes more support is needed for young athletes through initiatives like Milo's sports programs, which she has participated in.

Asyiil aims to continue improving her performances and hopes to represent Malaysia internationally. She encourages other aspiring young athletes to start, stay disciplined, and not give up easily, reminding them that every challenge and setback is an opportunity to learn, improve, and become stronger both as an athlete and as a person.