Diminutive Zaidatul out to make a bigger impact after 100m final outing
KUALA LUMPUR: Pint-sized sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli arrived home from Jakarta yesterday but not after leaving a huge impression in the Indonesian Asian Games.
The Asiad debutant, who weighs only 42kg and stands 1.56m, clocked her season’s best time of 11.59 in the heats to qualify for the semi-finals. She posted 11.70 in the semi-finals and went faster in the final to finish eighth with 11.61.
Zaidatul also became the first Malaysian to qualify for the women’s 100m final since G. Shanti’s effort in 1998.
The 25-year-old Zaidatul is also the only South East Asian women sprinter to qualify for the 100m final. Even 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games gold medallist Le Tu Chinh of Vietnam failed to make the cut for the blue-ribband event.
Zaidatul has also qualified for next year’s Philippines SEA Games as she surpassed her own silver-medal effort of 11.74, which she did at the KL Games last year.
Zaidatul was pleased with her performance but has set higher goals for next year.
“I want to break the national record and also win medals in both the 100m and 200m in the SEA Games. I want to qualify for next year’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar, (Sept 26-Oct 6),” said Zaidatul.
National sprint coach M. Balamurugan commended Zaidatul for making steady progress since he started coaching her in 2014.
“She may be small in size but one should not underestimate her burst of power. She definitely has a bright future,” said Balamurugan.
“She’s a disciplined athlete, who puts in a lot of effort in training despite being busy with her studies in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). It’s not easy to juggle between studies and training but she has done a good job.”
Balamurugan said the National Sports Institute (NSI) are looking at ways to raise her sprinting level.
“She needs to gain another three kilogrammes and build more muscle to prepare for two important competitions next year,” he said.
“I aim to help her break the national 100m record of 11.50 (held by G. Shanti since 1993 pre-SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur). I also want her to go one better in next year’s SEA Games by winning the gold.”
Zaidatul will also feature in the Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar, next year.
In the last Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, India, two years ago, Zaidatul clocked 11.70 to finish a creditable fourth in the final.