Steely determination
Life’s challenges propel Puteri to greater heights
POLE vaulter Puteri Nur Adillah Shik Azizir Rahman comes from a poor family.
But the hardship has only made her stronger as the pint-sized Negri Sembilan lass showed great resolve to break an 18-year Malaysia Games (Sukma) girls’ pole vault record twice at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh yesterday.
The 19-year-old was in superb form as she cleared the height of 3.76m in her first effort to erase the previous Games mark of 3.75m set by Kedah’s Roslinda Samsu in Penang in 2000.
She improved her previous best of 3.70m, which she did at the Kuala Lumpur Open in Bukit Jalil last month to win gold.
But she was not done yet and asked for the bar to be raised at 3.80m. She then coolly cleared the height for to improve the Games record.
Her coach Mohd Manshahar Abdul Jalil encouraged her to go for 4.00m but despite the loud cheers from the crowd, she failed to clear the height.
Puteri was in tears of joy and hugged her father Shik Azizir Rahman, a Felda labourer in Jelai, Gemas.
Despite lack of sports facilities in Jelai, Puteri showed it was her determination that mattered most.
Puteri, who is the youngest among seven siblings, was also happy to
make a good comeback after being out of action for eight months due to a back injury she suffered while training in Bukit Jalil last year July.
“I recovered in March and competed in Singapore Open in April but I failed to clear the starting height of 3.20m. I also failed to record a mark
in the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil in May,” said Puteri after retaining the gold she won at the Sarawak Sukma in 2016.
“I was depressed after the two failures but my coach Manshahar told me to stay focused. I took his advice and went on to win gold in the Kuala
Lumpur Open. I come from a poor family but my parents and my siblings have always supported me in my studies and sport. My father came all the way from Gemas. This medal is for them,” added Puteri, who is pursuing pre-university course at Bukit Jalil Sports School.