By Ahmad Mu’adh Bin Zainal Ali
“I always watched sports on television during the Olympics when I was a kid and it looked very cool at that time,” said Izzuddin, a current Mustang fencer for IIUM.
He never imagined himself being involved in the sports since it was not well known in Malaysia.
Muhammad Izzuddin Bin Abdul Samad, a second year Political Science student was introduced to the world of fencing when he was leisurely scrolling through Instagram.
He was interested in joining since he found it fit with his physical attributes. He stated that he likes sports that are not physical in nature since his body is built for endurance based sports which requires swift and fast pacing movements.
He was initially worried that the training for fencing would disturb his study time, however, the training would only be conducted on Monday and Thursday night, thus he could manage his time well and divide accordingly between studying and undergoing training.
Another reason why he joined the fencing club in the first place is to have a taste of being one of the prestigious Mustang members that is relished by the university. He felt that he could achieve it easier compared to other sports since it does not have a lot of competing members on his category, which is the Foil Fencing.
He was able to achieve his goals to harness a Mustang jersey when he participated in the IPT League Fencing (Final Circuit) in Nilai University on 8 November this year. He had just picked up the art of fencing for a few months attentively prior to the competition.
Intensive training was held as the competition grew nearer to the exact date. He had to attend a daily training regime to prepare himself for one of his anticipated tournaments where he could truly shine as a player.
At last, he became the unexpected fencer to shine during the tournament. He was able to achieve a silver medal for the foil category one step under the gold medallist who is a national player. Moreover, he also received third place in overall points for the year as an individual and brought home RM100 in cash to enjoy for himself.
This has sparked the drive to achieve more in his heart and to improve to be a better fencer. He would set higher goals in the coming years to create bigger challenges for him to develop as a fencer. He wishes to play in the Olympics one day and hopes that this could inspire children across the nation to reach for their dreams just like how he is working for it now.
A passion and love for the sport is what brought him the will to attend trainings regularly and fight on even though the struggles as a student is present.
Muhammad Izuddin wishes to continue fencing even when he finishes his education and would love to pass on the knowledge to his future offspring.***