While Zahra Masoumah Abdul Halim will attempt to swim the English Channel, Dr Lennard Lee is believed to be the first Malaysian, possibly Asian,
to take part in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. AS THE media spotlight turned on Zahra Masoumah Abdul Halim’s attempt to conquer the English Channel, another Malaysian veteran swimmer has set his sights on the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. And both the 17-year-old student and Dr Lennard Lee are striving to create waves with their record-breaking feats. While Zahra aspires to become the first Malaysian girl to swim the channel in early July, Lennard is believed to be the first Malaysian, possibly Asian, to take part in what is touted as the world’s longest annual swim race in New York next Saturday. The 45.6km marathon is more than double that of the Straits of Gibraltar and longer than the English Channel &ndash both of which were conquered by Lennard last July and in 2004 respectively. The two swimmers face daunting tasks ahead Zahra’s greatest challenge is the channel’s bone-chilling water while Lennard has never swum that far before in his life. Whatever the outcome, the amazing spirit of the two in pushing the boundaries to scale even greater heights has certainly done Malaysia proud. During a break in his intense training, Lennard expressed his full support for his younger, less experienced compatriot who is probably facing the biggest battle of her life.
“I’m a huge supporter of Zahra. She’s not just a fellow Malaysian but also a young and very brave girl,” he said before flying off to New York yesterday for the marathon.