COOL RUNNING
No impact on relay team and 110m hurdler despite change in schedule
ACHANGE in the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games athletics schedule should have no impact on the men’s 4x100m team and hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian.
Due to a lack of entries, the heats for the relay event as well as the men’s 110m hurdles have been scrapped.
As a result, the finals for both events which had originally been scheduled for the night sessions on Aug 25 and 26 respectively have been brought forward to the evening session in the revised timetable.
Sprints coach Poad Kassim said it does not matter when the final is held as the conditions would be the same for every team.
“I don’t think it will have any effect on our runners, or even the other countries,” said Poad when met at the Sea Games flag-handing over ceremony in Putrajaya yesterday.
“The boys are comfortable running in the evening because they also train at that time. I’m only surprised that the event has been scheduled so early (at 3.45pm).”
With the heats scrapped, the relay team will only get to run once which means Poad will not have an opportunity to experiment with the quartet.
Only one decision remains to be made, whether Nixson Kennedy or Haiqal Hanafi will be the second runner.
The sprint coaches had a test run in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday but Poad said the results of the analysis of the baton exchange will only be known after another test next week.
“We have not made a decision yet between Nixson and Haiqal. We will probably hold another test before making the selection,” he said.
Rayzam is also not concerned with having to run the final in the evening as he prepares to face off with Thailand’s four-time gold medallist Jamras Rittidet.
“It’s not a problem for me, whether it is evening or night or who I am running against,” said Rayzam, who is bidding to regain the gold medal he won in 2007. “If Jamras shows up, I’m ready to take him on.”
Other athletes who have to battle for gold in the evening heat include discus thrower Irfan Shamshuddin, walker Lo Choon Sieng, hammer throwers Jackie Wong and Grace Wong and high jumper Nauraj Singh Randhawa.
The men’s and women’s marathon will be held on Aug 19 before the rest of the athletics programme begins three days later at the National Stadium.