Shereen eyes Asian podium in Gumi
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's track queen Shereen Samson Vallabouy is eyeing a podium finish in her debut at the Asian Athletics Championships which begin tomorrow at the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea.
Shereen has not turned out for Malaysia since winning the 400m bronze in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games by posting 52.58. She also anchored the women's 4x100m quartet to win bronze in Hangzhou.
Shereen, 26, who is training under American Derrick White in Florida, said: "I am always excited to represent Malaysia. I am hoping for a podium finish.
"The full list of runners is not out yet but I believe the challenge will be from the Indian athletes.
"I have worked very hard in training and even lost three kilogrammes. I really want to improve my timing as I have not clocked new personal best in competitions this year yet.
"There is a lot of work to do but I am confident that I will do well at the end of the year," said Shereen, who will run in the 400m heats tomorrow morning.
Shereen, who will participate in the World Championships in Tokyo in September as a wild card, holds the national record of 51.79 set last year in the US.
Shereen said her main goal in the Asian Championships is to qualify on merit for the world meet and to achieve that, she needs to clock 50.75 in competitions by the end of August.
Malaysia Athletics (MA) is also banking on Irfan Shamsuddin to win his third medal in the men's discus event at the Asian meet.
Irfan, who will be competing in his fifth Asian Championships, won silver in Bhubaneswar, India, in 2017, and bronze in Bangkok in 2023.
Irfan, 29, who did a season best of 60 metres at the Queensland Open in Melbourne in March, said that he is in good shape and hoping for an explosive throw in Gumi.
MA president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said he is hoping that the athletes will return with at least a medal from the Asian Championships. In the last Asian meet, in Bangkok in 2023, Malaysia won a bronze through Irfan Shamsuddin with a throw of 59.63m.
Malaysia's 29 athletes for the Asian championships:
Men: Jonathan Nyepa (100m, 4x100m), Khairul Hafiz Jantan (100m, 4x100m), Sayyid Amin Roslan (200m, 4x100m), Russel Alexander Nasir Taib (200m, 4x100m), Danish Iftikhar Roslee (4x100m), Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam (4x100m), Umar Oman (400m, 4x400m), Luqmanul Hakim Khairul Akmal (400m, 4x400m), Fakrul Afizul Nasir (400m hurdles, 4x400m), Wan Fazri Wan Zahari (800m, 4x400m), Anas Ariffin (1500m), Rizzua Haizad (110m hurdles), Armin Zahryl Abdul Latif (110m hurdles), Khor Jing Hong (20km walk), Irfan Shamsuddin (discus), Jonah Chang (shot putt), Naufal Shahrul Afzam (pole vault), Farrell Glenn Felix Jurus (high jump).
Women: Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (100m, 200m, 4x100m), Nur Afrina Batrisyia Rizal (100m, 4x100), Izzatul Musfirah Ahmad Kamal Azria (200m, 4x100m), Azreen Nabila Alias (4x100m), Nur Aishah Rofina Aling (4x100m), Shereen Samson Vallabouy (400m), Nani Sahirah Maryata (shot put), Grace Wong Xiu Mei (hammer), Nurul Hidayah Lukman (hammer), Queenie Ting Kung Ni (discus), Ng Jing Xuan (javelin).
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