01/08/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | AUG 1, 2026

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Into the ice How Malaysian swimming coach conquered freezing Arctic to inspire autism children

1-ON-1 UNCUT Ű BY ADDAM KAMAL

rienced ice swimmers. Most had trained for years in naturally frozen lakes, while Ham had prepared inside a house in Kuala Lumpur using nothing more than bags of ice. “They saluted us Malaysians,” he recalled. “Because they know it’s really tough for us to do this event.” On the first day, he completed a 250m swim in four-degree water. The final stretch was pun ishing, with his heart pounding, his head throb bing and his fingers burning with pain, but he finished. The following day, his Latvian coach approached him with a simple question. “How far do you think you can swim?” “Three hundred metres,” Ham replied. The coach looked him in the eye. “Four hundred. I believe you can do it. Do you believe you can do it?” Ham did not hesitate. “Yes.” There is something revealing about that brief exchange. Ham did not claim certainty. Instead, he accepted someone else’s belief and carried it with him into the water. Once he entered the Arctic, there was no room for doubt. “I’m not thinking anything,” he said. “I block everything. Things that can distract my focus. Just swim. I breathe normally and swim in a relaxed mode.” Friends he had met during earlier ice-swim ming camps had offered simple advice: enjoy the temperature, take in where you are and don’t think too much. He followed every word. Once the initial shock had passed, his world narrowed to one simple task – the next stroke. “We came here, we spent a lot of money,” he said. “There was no turning back. Just swim.” Four hundred metres later, he climbed out of the Arctic Ocean as the first Malaysian to com plete the expedition, a feat that would later earn him recognition in the Malaysia Book of Records. For Ham, however, the greatest reward was never the certificate or the title. It was knowing that the next time he asked one of his students to believe they could do something that seemed impossible, he could look them in the eye and say it with complete conviction. Because he had already done it himself.

T HE first three minutes were the worst. Hamlatul Hawary Azizan remembers them with a clarity his body has never forgotten. The moment he entered the 4°C Arctic water, every nerve seemed to fire at once. “It’s felt like 1,000 needles pricking your whole body at the same time,” he recalled mat ter-of-factly. “Face, chest, everything.” Physiologists call it the cold-shock response – an involuntary gasp, a surge in heart rate, hyper ventilation and an overwhelming urge to escape. The body prioritises survival, and the mind sends one unmistakable instruction: get out. Hamlatul, better known as Ham, stayed. “Once you jump into the water, you only have two choices,” he explained. “Swim, or go back to the boat. Because it’s really cold.” On July 22, 2026, the 39-year-old swimming coach from Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur, became the first Malaysian to complete an ice swimming expedition in the Arctic Ocean, cov ering 400m in water cold enough to incapacitate most untrained people within minutes. Wearing nothing more than swimming trunks – ice swimming rules require direct skin contact with the water, leaving no room for wet suits or thermal protection — he climbed back onto the boat shivering but smiling. The feat would earn him a place in the Malaysia Book of Records. But the record was never what drew him into the Arctic. What drew him there was something more stubborn – and deeply human. For more than a decade, Ham has taught children with autism how to swim. At Hawary Sports Centre, he works with children who struggle to stay still, who experience the world more intensely than most and who are often told that their boundless energy is a weakness. Ham, however, sees something entirely different. “I believe these autism students always have extra energy,” he said. “Some people see this as a weakness because they’re hyperactive and unable to stay in one place. But when you chan nel that energy to the right place, it becomes an advantage.” Instead of asking them to suppress that energy, Ham teaches them to embrace it, taking them into the open sea and encouraging them to swim distances that often surprise even their

parents – 500m, 1km, sometimes even farther. Before asking them to do it, however, he always goes first. “You cannot tell people to do something if you don’t do it yourself,” he said. “You must walk the talk.” That simple philosophy would eventually carry him to one of the coldest oceans on Earth. An unexpected journey Ice swimming entered Ham’s life almost by accident. In 2022, he crossed Switzerland’s Lake Brienz in Interlaken, where the water temperature was about 16°C, after plans to bring some of his stu dents there fell through. A year later, curiosity led him to the Morocco Ice Swim, held on a mountain lake measuring just 5.7°C. He completed the shorter races and became the first Malaysian man recognised for compet ing in the event, but it was the longer race that stayed with him. He managed only 250 metres. “I still felt I hadn’t achieved my goal,” he admitted. “When I joined that event, I wasn’t prepared. I just gambled… I joined it spontane ously.” That disappointment became the turning point. If he wanted to challenge the Arctic, luck would never be enough. Learning to embrace pain Earlier this year, Ham travelled to Latvia to attend a specialised ice-swimming camp on the Baltic Sea. There, the water measured a bone chilling zero degrees and, on the second day, he completed a 100m swim while sheets of ice were already beginning to form around him. When he returned home to Malaysia, reality set in as his fingers remained numb for almost three months, leaving him worried that he might have suffered permanent nerve damage. Only after the sensation gradually returned did he decide to register for the Arctic expedition.

“Macam tak serik-serik,” he laughed softly, suggesting that his body had not learned its les son – and neither had he. Preparing for the Arctic from tropical Kuala Lumpur presented another challenge. Malaysia has no icy lakes, no frozen seas and no special ised cold-water training centres. Without access to any of those, Ham impro vised. Every day, bags of ice were delivered to his house. He started with one bag, then two, then three, four and eventually five, lowering the water temperature below five degrees. For more than 10 minutes at a time, he sat immersed in the freezing water, repeatedly exposing himself to the intense pain of those first three minutes until his body gradually learned not to panic. Medical science explains part of what he experienced. After the initial cold-shock response, the body begins to stabilise if the swimmer remains calm. Blood vessels constrict to preserve heat around vital organs, breathing gradually becomes more controlled and the rac ing heart starts to settle. The pain never disappears; instead, the mind simply learns to carry it. “I was worried when I did this to my body,” Ham admitted. “But Alhamdulillah, that thing didn’t happen again.” The Arctic test By the time the international expedition assembled, swimmers from Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Austria, Germany and Turkiye had gathered near the Arctic glacier. While some were attempting the full kilome tre, Ham chose the 400m distance. “I am the first from Asean,” he explained sim ply. He wanted to complete the swim safely while ensuring Malaysia became the first country in Southeast Asia to be represented in the expedi tion. His preparations surprised many of the expe

Grueling experience … Hamlatul Hawary endured physical and mental challenges to complete the freezing Arctic Ocean swim.

No night race for Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang

THE Formula 1 in Malaysia will not be staged under floodlights, with Sepang International Circuit (SIC) confirming that the Oct 4 race will take place in the afternoon despite conflicting informa tion circulating on social media. SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif dismissed speculation that the race would be held at night after the official Formula 1 app listed the event from 8pm to 10pm local track time. “The race will be held in the afternoon, not at night,” he told Bernama in a brief response. A check by Bernama found that the timing dis played on the F1 app remained unchanged as of press time. The race marks Malaysia’s return to the Formula 1 calendar after the country was confirmed last Sunday as the replacement host for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix from Oct 2 to 4.

to meet Formula 1 specifications. “There are no red flags. Overall, we are on the right track and only need some improvement and upgrading works to meet FIA specifications,” he said. On the prospect of Malaysia returning as a per manent Formula 1 host, he said it was too early to make a decision, with the immediate priority being the successful delivery of October’s event. “If this edition is successful, then we can begin discussions on the possibility of Malaysia returning to the Formula 1 calendar. Based on current pro jections, the economic spillover for the country is estimated to be around 13 times the cost of stag ing the event,” he said. – Bernama

security, protocol and coordination among minis tries and agencies, while a technical committee under KBS will monitor implementation and ensure preparations remain on schedule. “We have a very short period of about two months to ensure everything is in good order. It is not just about the circuit, but also protocol, secu rity, transportation and how we can boost the country’s tourism sector. “All these require comprehensive coordina tion,” he said after a working visit to SIC. Mohammed Taufiq said a technical inspection by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) last week found the circuit to be in good con dition, with only minor upgrading works required

The event was relocated to Sepang after the Bahrain race was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia. Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang from 1999 to 2017, with every edition held in the afternoon, unlike current Formula 1 night races such as the Singapore and Las Vegas Grands Prix. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has established two special committees to coordinate preparations for the race, with less than two months remaining before the event. Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said a main committee, chaired by the chief secretary to the government, will oversee