Final jump does the trick as Nazri creates history
KUALA LUMPUR: Triple jumper Muhd Nazri Mustafa saved his best for last en route to creating history in the second Asian Youth Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Kedah athlete cleared a personal best 15.05m in his sixth and last jump at the Suphachalasai National Stadium yesterday to become the first Malaysian to clinch gold in the boys’ Under-17 meet.
He was the only one among 10 athletes to clear more than 15m.
Taiwan’s Huang Haq-wen (14.78m) won silver and China’s Jianming Yu (14.71m) took the bronze.
Nazri has been in smashing form of late. Last month, he bagged the National Schools Sports Council ( MSSM) Track and Field Championships’ best athlete award in Penang, where he cleared 7.37m to break the long jump meet record and won the triple jump gold with a 14.78m leap.
Nazri, who will turn 17 on June 10, said that he never expected to bag the gold.
“I was struggling in the first four jumps – clearing 14.42m, 14.61m, 12.89m and 14.14m. I was sixth after four jumps ... but I surprised everyone when I did a personal best of 14.80m in the fifth jump to go top,” said Nazri.
“I knew that the others would go all out in their sixth and last jump to beat my mark. So, I stay focused and am thrilled to surpass the 15-metre barrier.
“It feels great to be the top triple jumper in the Under-17 meet in Asia. I will focus on this event so that I can be among the top triple jumpers at the senior level in Asia in the next few years.”
Malaysia also won three silvers and one bronze in the fourday meet, which ended yesterday.
Sprinter Muhd Aiedel clocked 10.80 for silver in the boys’ 100m.
Muhd Ilham Suhaimi won the boys’ 400m silver with a personal best of 48.16 (previous best 48.55).
Grace Wong Xiu Mei bagged the third silver in the girls’ hammer event with a 59.00m throw.
Ngu Ing Biao took bronze in the boys’ hammer event with a throw of 52.48m.
In the first Asian Youth Championships in Doha in 2015, Malaysia only won two bronze medals – Russell Alexander Nasir Taib (boys’ 400m) and Shereen Samson Vallabouy (girls’ 400m).