HAKIMI’S CAUTIOUS STRATEGY BACKFIRES
Malaysian triple jumper upset with disappointing performance
MALAYSIA’S Muhammad Hakimi Ismail paid dearly for his cautious approach when he performed poorly in the triple jump final at the Carrara Stadium at the Commonwealth Games yesterday.
Hakimi could only manage a mark of 15.97m after a first jump of 15.77m, and a second attempt that was disqualified. He finished ninth out of a field of eleven.
Guyana’s Troy Doris won the gold, recording a season’s best jump of 16.88m, with Yordanys Duranona Garcia of Dominica taking silver (16.86m), with bronze going to Cameroon’s Marcel Mayack II (16.80m).
“Today, luck was just not on my side as I was too cautious,” said Hakimi who was visibly upset by his disappointing performance.
“For my first jump, I tried to do it differently, my second was disallowed and on my third attempt, I was very cautious because I was afraid it would be disallowed again.
“Jamaica’s Clive Pullen had bettered his jump to 16.16m, which I was unaware of, and as I was overly cautious, it all ended for me.
“Yes I am disappointed because I know that I could have done much better than that. It just didn’t work out the way I wanted it to today.
This is one of the worst performances from the Podium Programme athlete who has broken the national record thrice, first at the 2013 Myanmar Sea Games with a jump of 16.44m, then at the 2015 Singapore edition (16.76m), and at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games in August last year (16.77m).
Hakimi said that during the heats, he just thought about doing his best and not getting disqualified, but it all fell apart for him.
“Yes, it is my fault, I should have given it my all in the first jump,” he lamented.
Hakimi will hold discussions with his coach regarding preparations for the Asian Games in Indonesia in August.