Lalu stands in Khairul’s way for glory at Malaysian Grand Prix

KUALA LUMPUR: South East Asia’s fastest man Khairul Hafiz Jantan has to step up to provide a worthy showdown with world junior champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri of Indonesia in the men’s 100m in the Malaysian Grand Prix at the National Sports Council training track in Bukit Jalil from March 27-28.

Both sprinters have a personal best of 10.18 but it’s the Indonesian who holds the upper hand as he has been more consistent compared to the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games gold medallist Khairul.

The 18-year-old Lalu created the biggest surprise in the World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland, last year when he became the first Indonesian to win gold with a personal best time of 10.18.

He is also an Asian junior champion and finished seventh in the men’s 100m final in the Asian Games in Jakarta last August.

Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) president Datuk Karim Ibrahim predicts Lalu will steal the show at the Philippines SEA Games in December.

“We’re happy Lalu will feature in our tournament, he will pose a big threat to Khairul in the meet,” said Karim.

“It will be a good test to see where Khairul and the other national sprinters stand against the Indonesian.”

The 20-year-old Khairul from Melaka has failed to come close to his national record of 10.18, which he set in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kuching in 2016.

Khairul failed to reach the semi-finals at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and did not make the cut to the final at last year’s Asiad.

Besides Lalu, Indonesia will also field Sapwaturrahman and Emilia Nova in the local meet.

Sapwaturrahman jumped to a personal best of 8.09m en route to winning bronze and breaking Indonesia’s national record in the men’s long jump at the Asian Games.

Emilia won an Asiad silver in the women’s 100m hurdles by clocking a personal best of 13.33.