ATHLETES AIM TO END DROUGHT IN 10 EVENT
DEVINDER SINGH devinder@nst.com.my Malaysia poised to end gold medal drought in 10 events
MALAYSIA’S track and field athletes have a chance of ending gold medal drought lasting at least a decade in 10 events when the Sea Games athletics programme gets underway on Aug 22.
The event that most Malaysians hope will see a local champion emerge after a long time is the men’s 100m and 200m, both of which were last won by Nazmizan Muhammad in 2003 in Hanoi.
Only two other Malaysian runners have ever won the men’s 100m gold medal but Khairul Hafiz Jantan now has a chance to join that short but illustrious list which includes Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan (1965) and G. Rajalingam (1967).
The seeds of optimism were sowed last year when Khairul smashed the 100m record in 10.18 seconds before taking down Jegathesan’s 200m national mark which had stood since 1968 with a time of 20.90s at last month’s Malaysian Open.
“At the Sea Games, I think Khairul might even break the 100m record again,” said the sprinter’s coach Poad Kassim yesterday.
“But I don't place any medal targets on them, just for the athletes to do their best and if possible run a personal best.”
Shot putter Ziyad Zolkefli is in a position not just to win Malaysia’s first Sea Games gold in his event since Arjan Singh in 1993 but also become the first para athlete to do so.
“I hope to do my best. The birth of my child has also given me added motivation so please pray for my success,” said Ziyad, whose personal best of 17.29m achieved by winning gold at the World Para Athletics Championships last month puts him among the Sea Games shot put contenders.
Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian hopes to end the four consecutive gold medal winning streak of his Thailand rival Jamras Rittidet in the men’s 110m hurdles, an event which Rayzam won in 2007.
“I’m not thinking of Jamras, if he’s going to run then I will have to beat not just him but everybody else,” said Rayzam, who smashed Nurherman Majid’s national record this year with a time of 13.67s.
Jackie Wong owns the best throw in the men’s hammer in Southeast Asia this year as he looks to win gold in his event for Malaysia for the first time since Wong Tee Kui bagged the last of his four gold medals in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur.
Two events in which Malaysia last won gold in 1969 are the men’s 4x100m and 3,000m steeplechase, with both droughts capable of ending this time although it will take some doing.
The men’s relay quartet must beat allconquering Thailand, who have only been beaten in the 4x100m twice since 1969, each time by Indonesia.
In the steeplechase, Ahmad Luth Hamizan has emerged as the leading Southeast Asian runner over the barriers this year and could well spring a pleasant surprise.
Sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli is also on a mission to become the nation’s first women’s sprint champion since G. Shanti won the double in 1997.
“Anything can still happen and I don’t want to think about the runners from Thailand or Vietnam or Singapore.
“But if you want something badly enough, you have to work hard for it even though it can be very challenging,” said Husniah.
The women’s triple jump could see a new Malaysian winner since Ngew Sin Mei in 2005 with R. Kirthana owning the second-best jump in Southeast Asia this year.
Norliyana Kamaruddin, meanwhile, will be aiming to win the heptathlon title for the first since Datuk Zaiton Othman in 1989 after closing the gap to Thailand’s defending champion Wassana Winatho to a mere 30 points at the Thailand Open in June.