Cheerful Ing Bao cracks own MSSM discus record
PENANG: Burly Ngu Ing Bao rewrote his own boys’ Under-18 discus record by five centimetres in the 59th National Schools Sports Council ( MSSM) Track and Field Championships at the City Stadium – and immediately revealed his secret.
Ing Bao, who is from Sarikei, Sarawak, hurled the discus to a distance of 52.89m yesterday to improve on his previous mark of 52.84m set in Kuala Terengganu last year.
So, what’s his secret?
It’s simple. He always stays cheerful.
“That’s why I manage to improve on my personal best ... I never let my emotions affect my performances,” said Ing Bao, who broke the record with his third throw.
“I knew I would be able to better my mark as I managed to do 53m in training.
“My aim is to one day represent Malaysia and continue improving on my personal best.”
Another Sarawakian, William Wong Tung Wei (49.81m), took silver while Terengganu’s Mohd Faiz Mohd Zaid (46.60m) settled for bronze.
There was a huge upset in the girls’ Under-18 discus event when Pahang’s 16-year-old Nani Sahirah Maryata upset last year’s MSSM best female athlete Grace Wong Xiu Mei of Sarawak to clinch the gold.
And Nani did it in style – improving on her personal best by more than three metres.
She hurled the discus to a distance of 39.98m. Her previous best was 36.48m, which she did en route to winning gold in the SEA Youth Championships at the Ilagan Sport City in the Philippines last month.
The 17-year-old Grace, who won gold in the MSSM championships in Kuala Terengganu last year, took silver after managing 36.93m.
Another Sarawakian, Wong Xiao Jing, took bronze with a throw of 36.27m.
Nani, a Form Four student of the Pahang Sports School, was thrilled to bits with her effort.
“It was a dream come true for me as I managed to improve on my personal best by more than three metres in just four weeks,” said Nani.
“I never expected to beat Grace to the gold. But I’m glad I did.
“This has boosted my confidence and I intend to go all out to win my second gold in shot putt tomorrow (today).
“Winning the second gold will also boost my chances of representing Malaysia in the Asean Schools Championships in Singapore (from July 15-18).”