Muhammad Din, Nur Aishah set VIII SAGA speed record
SANDAKAN: Muhammad Din Norbik and Nur Aishah Rofina Aling were crowned the fastest athletes in the VIII Sabah Games (SAGA).
Kota Belud lad Muhammad Din clocked 10.8s to take the Men’s 100m gold while Nur Aishah gave the Sandakan hosts much to cheer for after her first place finish in the women’s final in 12.56s.
Mohammad Noor Musyaaraf Mohd Sari of Sandakan took the men’s silver in 10.98s followed by Rey Dern of Tuaran in 11.23s.
The silver and bronze in the women’s category were won by Feona Lim Yi Fei of Tuaran in 13.01s and Miana Masinta Mosusah from Tawau in 13.24s.
When met after the finals, Muhammad Din was a picture of happiness as he added another title under his belt after having won in record time in the Boy’s under15 200m of the National Schools (MSSM) meet last year.
The now 16-year-old athlete said he could have smashed the SAGA record of 10.8s had he started off well in the Century Dash.
“I started badly and that is why I could not break the record. I was aiming for a time around 10.7s.
“I made it difficult for myself with the bad start and in fact, I had to race as hard to get past one of the finalists before crossing the finish line.
“I am sure my coach will not be happy with how I started but on the other hand, I’m glad I won the gold,” said Muhammad Din who is a student at Sabah Sports School Malaysia (SSMS).
As for Nur Aishah, she is arguably the new darling of Sandakan after her victory at the Sandakan Sports Complex yesterday.
“This is my second SAGA. I did not win any medals in my debut two years ago in Tawau.
“That is why I was happy for the gold medal which proved my one year of training and hard work paid off,” she said. Nur Aishah went on to say that she looked forward to the 4x100m relay where the final was held last night but the result was not available at press time.
The 18-year-old will also be looking to complete a unique sprint doubles when she take part in the 200m race.
Meanwhile, the other gold on offer for the day session was in the women’s triple jump event where Liz Steffenie Mawos of Keningau won with a distance of 11.36m. Nur Syuhadah Junaidi from Sipitang and Aurella Ethel Clauddius from Tuaran achieved silver and bronze with their efforts of 10.94m and 10.85m respectively.
In shot putt, Kota Kinabalu’s Erynoth Alarick Larry recorded a distance of 14.1m to win the men’s gold followed by Mirach Han from Tawau with 13.91m and Ivern Lee Lucian from Tuaran with 13.12m.
The discus women’s category was won by Siti Aishah Arfiana Asmat from Papar with 27.62m followed by Niery Asyira Jaibi from Ranau and Azyyatie Junnadzhar from Lahad Datu with their distances achieved of 26.97m and 26.67m respectively.
Nadhir Nail Sarjo of Ranau won the men’s 400m hurdles in 56.28s while Kota Marudu and Lahad Datu got silver and bronze through Rydicksie Jaiwol (57.44s) and Mohd Azmir Abdul Rahman (58.16s) respectively.
For the women’s category, Haniza Matihon from Pitas was timed at 70.65s to take the gold while the silver went to Tawau duo Dayang Suhana Jaicob (71.66s) and Iren Serernus (75.11s).
Another seven gold medals were on offer from the night session of athletics yesterday.