By: Dr. Cheng Kai Wah
FEM Lecturer
SERDANG, Jan 8 – The national hockey athlete, Syed Mohamad Syafiq Syed Cholan, 27, is awarded the Razlan Putra Medal and a degree in Bachelor of Science (Human Development), Faculty of Human Ecology (FEM), at the 44th Convocation Ceremony, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) here.
“I am very touched because I managed to attain my bachelor’s degree today, although it took me five years, and I am very pleased with my achievements both in hockey and academics,” he said.
Among his achievements, Syed Mohamad Syafiq represented Malaysia in the 2018 Men’s Hockey Odisha World Cup, won Silver Medal in the 2018 Asian Games and Bronze Medal in the 2018 Asian Champion Trophy.
He said the most significant challenge during his studies was dividing his time between the national team training and academic assignments because the national training usually took place from 7:30 am to 10:00 am.
He then had to resume training in the afternoon from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
“I am grateful to the lecturers and classmates for understanding the time constraints of an athlete. They are very dedicated and gave me sufficient opportunities and time to complete my assignments throughout my studies at UPM,” he said.
He added that he had to be wise in delegating time for himself, family, national team training, and recreation.
Besides that, he was always in contact with his lecturers and friends when faced with academic matters.
He is currently planning on furthering his studies in Master of Business Administration at the School of Business and Economics (SPE), UPM. – UPM
