Discus thrower Kang Ni believes she’ll go the distance with local coach Ali

KUALA LUMPUR: National woman discuss thrower Choo Kang Ni has suffered a drop in form after a change of coach.

But Kang Ni is confident that she will adapt under her new coach and bounce back with stronger performances to qualify for the Philippines SEA Games in Manila from Nov 30-Dec 11.

The Universiti Malaya student has been training under local coach Ali Hamil this year after the National Sports Council (NSC) ended the contract with her long-time coach Frantisek Petrovic of Slovakia.

“I broke the national record with the help of Frantisek, who has trained me the last few years. I’m now training under Ali,” said Kang Ni, who is pursuing a degree in sports management.

“Ali has changed my throwing technique and it’s taking time for me to get used to the new style.

“Due to the changes, I’ve failed to come close to my personal best in this year’s first two competitions,” said Kang Ni.

She hurled a distance of 45.41m to win the gold in the Perak All-Comers in Ipoh in February and last month, she performed even poorly with a throw of 44.39m but still, took the gold at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Bukit Jalil.

It’s a poor cry from what Kang Ni is capable off – after all she is the national record holder with a distance of 47.91m, which she pulled off enroute to winning the gold at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

She erased the previous mark of 47.79m set by Yap Jeng Tzan at 2014 Vietnam Open.

She now has challenged herself to surpass the 48m mark in the Thailand Open at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, Bangkok, today. That’s the mark she needs to beat to qualify for the SEA Games.

“I’ll be pleased to hit at least the 46m mark in Bangkok. If I keep the momentum going, I believe I can surpass the 48m mark to qualify for SEA Games in the next one or two months,” she said.

Kang Ni is one of the 33 athletes, comprising 19 men and 14 women, selected to feature in the four-day meet in Bangkok.