Khairul Hafiz hopes to keep consistency for Asian Games

KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asia’s fastest man, Khairul Hafiz Jantan wants to use the 95th Malaysia Athletics Open Championship, scheduled from tomorrow to Sunday, as the ground to prove his consistency ahead of the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in August this year.

The 19-year-old SEA Games 100m champion who will be competing in the event on Friday as well as the 200m event the following day at the National Stadium in KL Sports City, hopes to better his season’s best of 10.34s in 100m set in March.

“The recent Commonwealth Games was a learning curve and I am here to better my time as we gear towards the Asian Games in Jakarta,” he said in a statement.

Khairul Hafiz, who recorded the meet and national record with a time of 20.90s in last year’s Malaysia Open National Championships 200m race erasing Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan’s 49-year-old record of 20.92s, also holds the national 100m record by clocking 10.18s at 2016 Sarawak Malaysia Games (Sukma).

Meanwhile, Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) President Datuk Karim Ibrahim expects stiff competition for local athletes in the three-day meet, as eight nations confirmed their participation, including Kuwait, South Korea, Japan, Jordan, Philippines, regional powerhouse Thailand and neighbour Singapore.

“The championships is on a bigger scale this year and it will be aired live on Astro Arena for the first time. The best in Malaysia will be competing from Friday until Sunday, not just against each other but against eight invited nations too. I’m eager for this tournament to grow,” he said.

Karim added, some of other biggest track and field names in Malaysia are competing in the meet for another chance to achieve the Asian Games qualification mark after a less than satisfactory outing at the recent Commonwealth Games.

Besides Khairul Hafiz, other notable Malaysians competing at the championships include high jumpers Lee Hup Wei, Nauraj Singh Randhawa, hammer thrower Jackie Wong, hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian and long jumper Abdul Latiff Romly.