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DATIN PADUKA SHARIFAH MAZLINA SYED ABDUL KADIR

Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir was born on May 23rd 1965 in
Malaysia. She received her Honors Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education from the
University PUTRA in July 1990. As a student she actively took part in many games and
sports events. She was a javelin thrower and excelled in track and field events. She was a
good Hockey player as well. She continued her education to receive a Master's Degree in
Education (Psychology) in 1997 from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
After completing her studies, Mazlina became a lecturer of Sports Psychology at
the University Technology MARA. As a teacher she is well known for creating new
ideas and helping the students to develop positive thinking thus preparing them to face
the realities of life. For her services as a lecturer, she has earned a "Level-1 Qualified
Trainer in Athletics" certificate from International Athletic Association Federation
(I.A.A.F). In the year 2002, the Center of Excellence Training ASIA based in Sweden
selected her to be a board member of the Association representing the Asian countries.
The idea of the expedition was brought about in the year 2003, when Mazlina
decided to make a World Record by becoming the first Malaysian and the first Asian
woman to step into the land of the Antarctic. When she first proposed an expedition to
the Antarctic, her whole family had their doubts. She sat down and discussed the matter
over with the members of her family and finally succeeded in getting their full support.
After Mazlina came up with the working paper on the expedition, she spent most
of her time undergoing rigorous training and polishing her skills. Even during the month
of Ramadan, she continued with her training in the nights while fasting the whole day.
On December 9th 2004, Mazlina started her 1100 K.M. long solo expedition from
the South Pole to Hercules. She had many obstacles like wind and chilling cold climate
standing in her way to realize her dream - becoming the first Asian woman to trek in the
Antarctic region. But her strong mental attitude kept her going on her arduous venture.
On the 18th day of her journey, she was pushed and blown by the wind. She was dragged
for about 40 to 50 meters through the treacherous landscape. She only came to a halt
when the ski on her right foot was embedded at a 90-degree angle in the ice. After falling
down, she relaxed for a while and setup a tent. She was badly injured and her knees were
swollen. Undeterred by this series of unfortunate events, Mazlina continued on her trek.
Once settled in the tent, she called the organizers at the base camp and they asked
her if she needed any medical assistance. She insisted that she didn't need any because
she didn’t want her journey to be a supported trek. She was determined to make it on her
own. On December 30, Mazlina reached her destination, Hercules Inlet, creating records
for the fastest time of 22 days, beating an earlier record of 24 days. Mazlina became the
first woman in the world to ski-sail in the Antarctic region.
Mazlina used the solo ski-sail trek across Antarctica as a opportunity to study her
own mood variations. She used an analysis tool she had devised herself called MEPS to
monitor her performance. MEPS stands for mental, emotional physical and social
elements that motivate an individual and gauge one’s coping mechanisms. She explains,
"When I was injured, I never allowed emotions to rule or have negative feelings."
She has been invited to become a member of an all-women team that plans an
international expedition to Greenland in 2011. The condition to be a part of this team is
that each member should have visited both the North and South poles. So, Mazlina plans
to go to the North Pole between 2007 and 2008. Presently Mazlina is writing three
books, two on her experiences in Antarctica and the third is a biography

Sources:

http://www.newsreview.cl/844/sports/sports.htm

http://www.100plus.com.my/flash_content/events_promo/event_antarctic/content.html

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=128625

http://www.sharifahantarctic.com/Profile.htm

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