Celeb Stop

Monday June 8, 2009

Not just a hot shot

By WILLY WILSON

IT'S hard not to be in awe of Malaysia's top squash player, Azlan Iskandar. A charismatic young man, Azlan is pragmatic in his views, decisive in his words, blessed with good genes, and is currently ranked No. 12 in the world.

He is certainly one of sport's biggest celebrities in our country. All the more so after his 73-minute battle against Egypt's Omar Mosaad in the finals of the US$45,300 NSC Series No. 5 Tournament at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil in March. That was a big moment for both Azlan's career and Malaysia!

When he finally made the long-awaited return to the winner's podium, not only did he bring home the PSA Tour title and a big wad of cash, but he also made his way into our hearts again. Azlan Iskandar was officially a local hero.

He has all these under his belt at the relatively tender age of 27 and he says he's nowhere near the finish line.

"I still have a good five to six years to go," says Azlan, matter-of-factly.

He reckons athletes perform best when they are able to let their mind control their body. Such ability doesn't come from psychical training, but with age and wisdom; which is why Azlan believes that his best performance has yet to come. "I believe that I will reach the peak of my career when I turn 28 and (stay there) all the way until I am 35. This is the period where your mind can control your body, and it is very important for an athlete to able to do so."

Hailing from Sarawak, Azlan – who is of Malay and Scottish parentage – always had a way with sports. He picked up squash at the tender age of eight. Four years later, he represented Sarawak at a national competition. Soon he moved to Kuala Lumpur and enrolled at the Bukit Jalil Sports School and upon completing his SPM examinations, he decided to dedicate his life to squash.

It was during that period that he thrived professionally and was exposed to the taste of victory in various international junior tournaments. At 18, he hit the world's top 70 ranking. Four years down the road, he was among lthe world's top 20 players.

Judging from his progress over the years, it would not be an overstatement to say that he was born to be an athlete. Everything seems to come easily to him.

But Azlan begs to differ. He recalls that it took him a year and a half to convince his mum that his decision to become a professional athlete was right despite his young age.

"It's always hard to choose the path less travelled. Frankly speaking, the lifespan of an athlete is short. And most athletes, when they retire, don't really have anything else to fall back on except coaching. That was obviously a concern for my family when I decided to go pro."

With that in mind, he is planning to "branch out''. No, he is not quitting squash but is looking at the prospect of expanding the sport in Malaysia.

"I ultimately want to sit in the board of Majlis Sukan Negara, simply because I know what the athletes need. That aside, I am also in the process of building an Azlan Iskandar Squash Academy – a one-stop training centre that not only grooms young talents and provides motivation for them to compete on an international level, but also functions as an avenue to socialise with the public. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done," he says. Azlan is certainly working hard to make sure this project comes to fruition. He is aware that squash is a fairly new sport in Malaysia, with a relatively more subdued following than, say, badminton.

"Squash is not even in the Olympics! So it's definitely a challenge to find sponsors for such a project," he explains. But Azlan is not a quitter – he wouldn't be here if he was.

"It has the potential to become a major sport," he says, "I want to do this while I'm still playing and not when I'm retired.''

In the more forseeable future, Azlan's goal is to break into the worlds top 10 list. Under an intense supervision of psychical trainer Sean Sturgess and coach Peter Genevar Turner, he is convinced that he will achieve this goal.

A one woman man

With a thriving career in hand and an ambitious project in mind, this hunky athlete never seems to get worn-out. He maintains that he still "has a lot to offer", and I quickly jump in and ask the one question every girl wants to know ... is he available?

"I have a girlfriend and we have been in a relationship for a year," he answers diplomatically, almost sounding like a media-trained politician. But it's understandable; it's a sensitive topic when you're in the public eye.

Anyway, it's hard to imagine, with his good looks, that he's short of attention from the opposite sex.

"Then I guess I haven't leveraged enough from it!" he says, jokingly. But he is quick to add that the truth couldn't be further than that. His relationship record says it all.

"I've always been in long-term relationships. My previous ones lasted for six and four years, respectively. And I can tell you this: I am a monogamous and very committed person."

When asked what qualities he admired most in a woman, he says "ambition and dedication", and he believes that one needs to learn how to look after oneself before entering a committed relationship. Otherwise, "You can expect a chaotic relationship," he says. How true.

His style file

When it comes to style, his choices have progressed over the years, just like in his career. Yes, there were some less-than-flattering decisions made along the way – who can forget that long hair a few years back – but Azlan seems to have moved past such faux-pas.

It is obvious that he's wiser when it comes to style. Sporting a new blonde Mohawk-like do during the interview, Azlanquips, "I have mellowed down. I have pretty much stopped experimenting because I'm not a boy anymore!"

A self-proclaimed metrosexual, he confesses to deriving pleasure from grooming and dressing up. And he is a man who knows what he wants.

"I do have a set of facial products, from toner to facial wash. I go for sports massages regularly to relax my muscles. I shave my legs and my body, but I usually leave my beard as I would look quite young without it.

"Guys normally like girls who take a good care of themselves, but what guys often forget is that girls want the same thing from us too."

He describes his style as simple and casual. He cites Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren and Ed Hardy as his favourite apparel brands. His everyday look consists of shorts, skinny jeans, polo and long-sleeve shirts, and he believes that nothing polishes a man's look better than the right shoes and a statement-making watch.

"You can have the whole deal but if your shoes and watch are wrong, then you're out," says Azlan.

Click here for more photos.