Johnny breaks Asean Schools record
SIBU: Rising star Johnny Ling Siew Hong inked his name in the record books with another smashing performance in the Boys’ Under-18 hammer throw at the 51st Sibu Division Schools Track & Field Championships at Tun Zaidi Stadium here yesterday.
The 66.40m record throw that the 18-year- old student of SMK Sacred Heart achieved yesterday bet tered the Asean Schools Championship record of 62.3m set by Michael Sia in 2012. Ling’s also bettered his own Malaysia Schools Championship ( MSSM) record of 59.68m (Terengganu, 2016).
It was a stellar performance, so much so that Ling actually broke the record in all his six throws. Having upped his tempo, the flamboyant Ling is now eyeing a medal finish in the biennial Asia Schools Championship in July in Japan. Schools from China, Japan, Taiwan, HongKong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are among nations sending athletes.
“He should be able to qualify for the Asia Schools Championship by virtue of hitting the 58m qualifying mark and hopefully, he will again do a Houdini act to bring back a precious medal for the country,” his coach Ting Kung Jin said. “Besides, Ling also wants to retain the state’s domination in the hammer throw for the next Sukma,” Ting added.
“At the last Sukma in Kuching, Sarawak lifted the gold medal through Jackson Wong but he would be overaged by the next Sukma and that effectively means Ling is the only potential athlete to take over the baton.”
Ting said Ling is also hopeful of cracking the Sukma hammer throw record of 56.98m established by Michael Sia in 2014, and going by current pace, there is nothing to derail his plan.
Ting said he would continue to bring Ling to Sarikei to train under state coach for throw events, Ling Neng Thung, on alternate days. “Neng Thung has been synonymous with producing champion throwers and under his valuable guidance, Ling has increased by leaps and bounds and all the hard work is paying dividends now,” Ting said.
Meanwhile, SMK St Elizabeth throw star Melissa Lau Sze Ling shone again when she rewrote the Girls’ U-15 hammer throw with 28.1m to increase her personal record haul to two records and two gold medals. Her other record was in the shot put with 9.38m to eclipse the old record of 8.85m.