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New Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Alarming wake-up call for Malaysia in Gumi
KUALA LUMPUR: This is an alarming wake-up call for Malaysian athletics. And the national association had better buck up before it's too late, before Malaysia flop again in track and field at the December Sea Games in Thailand. Malaysia have just found out that they are far behind their Southeast Asian rivals in athletics. The national squad won only one bronze medal in the Asian Athletics Championships which ended in Gumi, South Korea on Saturday. In comparison, the Philippines won one gold and Thailand took four silvers and three bronzes. Singapore bagged two silvers and Vietnam got one silver and one bronze. This does not augur well for Malaysia in track and field at the Sea Games; the writing is on the wall in Gumi. A total of 29 Malaysian athletes (18 men and 11 women) competed in the Asian Championships. Forty-five golds were at stake, and Malaysia could only win one bronze, through Irfan Shamsuddin in men's discus with an effort of 58.82m. It was Irfan's third medal in five Asian appearances; he won silver in Bhubaneswar, 2017 and bronze in Bangkok in 2023. China topped the medals table in Gumi with 19 golds, nine silvers and four bronzes, India (8-10-6) were second and Japan (5-11-12) third. Despairingly for Malaysia, even established athletes like Shereen Samson Vallabouy, Khairul Hafiz Jantan, Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli, Russel Alexander Nasir Taib, Grace Wong and Queenie Ting flopped in Gumi. There were high expectations on the United States-based Shereen, winner of the women's 400m bronze in the 2023 Asian Games. But she clocked a poor 54.80 (way off her national record of 51.79) to finish a disappointing fifth in the heats and even failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Khairul, who won the men's 100m gold in the 2017 KL Sea Games, has a personal best (PB) of 10.18, but clocked 10.71 to finish sixth in the heats. Zaidatul, who holds the national women's 100m record of 11.49, ran a season best of 11.65 in the heats, but in the final, clocked 12.01 to finish eighth and last. Russel, who has a 200m PB of 20.71, failed to qualify for the semi-finals. He clocked 21.71 to finish fifth in the heats. Hammer thrower Grace recorded 59.15m to finish 10th among 12 athletes, and her effort was three metres short of her 62.48m national record. Queenie recorded 47.96m — more than four metres short of her national 52.77m record — in the women's discus to finish eighth among 10 athletes. The men's 4x100m quartet were disqualified after a botched final baton exchange. They really need to improve on this for the Sea Games. The few commendable performances came from Sea Games bronze medallist Wan Fazri Wan Zahari, who did a PB of 1:47.64 in the men's 800m heats to finish fourth. It was a whisker away from the national record of 1:47.37 set by B. Rajkumar in 1985. Wan Fazri's time was better than the Sea Games record of 1:48.29 set by Malaysia's Samson Vallabouy in 1989. Newcomer Armin Zahryl Abdul Latif clocked a PB of 13.85 in the men's 110m hurdles to finish third in his heats. It's better than the bronze medal time of 13.86 clocked by Filipino John Cabang in the 2023 Sea Games. Sea Games champion Umar Osman ran a season best of 46.25 in the men's 400m final to finish eighth. Jonah Chang also did a season best of 18.05m in men's shot putt to finish 10th among 15 athletes. Team manager Datuk R. Annamalai said that some athletes could not perform to their best due to lack of competitions. "The only competition the national athletes had this year was the Cahya Mata Super Series at Merdeka Stadium last month, but some of the field athletes did not get a chance because there were no throwing events. "Our athletes need exposure and we will be sending them for more competitions like the Thailand Open this month." Malaysia Athletics (MA), which will be having elections on June 15 to elect office bearers, needs a president who is able to raise the standards of the nation's athletes. At the 2023 Sea Games, a total of 48 golds were offered in track and field, but Malaysian athletes won only five golds, three silvers and 11 bronzes, which was rather disappointing. MA has only six months to get its athletes in shape for the Sea Games or else Malaysian athletes can expect to be also-rans in the biennial regional showcase.
The Star
30-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Malaysia finally land a medal in S. Korea through discus thrower Irfan
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's outing in the Asian Track and Field Championships in Gumi, South Korea, finally yielded a bronze medal through discus thrower Irfan Shamsuddin. He recorded a throw of 58.82m to finish behind China's gold medallist Abuduaini Tuergong (63.47m) and Japan's Masateru Yugaimi (60.38m).
New Straits Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
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).
