Yayasan Sime Darby Awards Fatehah Mustapa the YSD "Star" Scholarship

The scholarship will enable the 23-year old prominent cyclist who is slated to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games, to further her education for a duration of six years on a part-time basis, commencing September 2012, after the Olympics. The scholarship includes a two-year foundation course and another four years to pursue a degree in Business Marketing at the Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.

She received the scholarship award from YSD Council Member, Tan Sri Dr Wan Mohd Zahid Mohd Noordin at a special ceremony held at the Sime Darby Convention Centre today. Also present was Deputy President of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF), Datuk Naim Mohamad.

In his speech, Zahid expressed hope that the scholarship would inspire other young Malaysian athletes with great potential, to strive for academic excellence, while pursuing professional sports at the highest level.

“With Fatehah pursuing her studies at Victoria University, she will be able to receive quality academic learning experiences in a reputable university in Australia, and at the same time be able to undergo extensive sports training. We are confident that with this scholarship support, she has the opportunity not only to become a top female cyclist but also excel in her academic studies. With this balance, we have strong faith that she will make a significant contribution towards the nation,” he added.

Fatehah will be attending academic classes at the university on a part-time basis, while continuing her training to further improve her track cycling skills under Coach John Beasley in Melbourne, where she is currently based.

Ranking 15th in overall Track Cycling World Cup ranking, Fatehah has been consistently showing outstanding performance. During the most recent Asian Cycling Championships held at the KL Velodrome in Cheras, she secured the gold medal in the Women’s Keirin competition. She also took home three gold medals in the South East Asian (SEA) Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia last year for the Women’s 200m Sprint, Women’s Team Sprint and 500m Time Trial. 

Terengganu-born Fatehah also became the best female cyclist in Asia after finishing sixth in the finals of UCI Track World Cup in Cali, Colombia in December 2011.

Fatehah, who is thrilled to take on her new challenge at the Victoria University said: “I am grateful to YSD for giving me the opportunity to embark on this journey towards becoming a more holistic individual.

“I hope to excel in both the academics and sporting fields. I am motivated to be the best female track cyclist in the world and at the same time, hold a qualification in the field of business marketing, which I am truly passionate about. I believe this will be a plus point for every athlete to secure their future beyond sports.”

The YSD “Star” Scholarship award marks the third year of YSD’s efforts in developing ‘potential stars’ in the field of arts, music, sports, environment and sciences in Malaysia with the Malaysian cycling sensation.

Cyclist Azizulhasni Awang was the first “Star” scholarship recipient in 2010to be awarded RM456,000 to study Sports Science Management in Melbourne, Australia, followed by Malaysia’s number one lady amateur golfer, Kelly Tan Guat Chen in 2011who was awarded RM339,300 to study at the Pendleton School of IMG Academies in Florida, USA.