Hakimi eyeing triple joy at Bukit Jalil
KUALA LUMPUR: It is quite a rare achievement for an athlete – winning two competitions in two different countries in a space of five days.
Hats off to national triple jumper Muhd Hakimi Ismail from the Silver State as he struck gold at the 81st Singapore Open Track and Field Championships at the National Sportshub with a leap of 16.01m to finish ahead of eight participants yesterday.
Mark Harr Diones of the Philippines won the silver with an effort of 15.96m while Thailand’s Pratcha Teppark settled for bronze (15.85m).
On Saturday, the two-time SEA Games gold medallist did a season’s best of 16.47m to win the top spot in the Queensland Track Classic in Brisbane.
The 28-year-old Hakimi returns home tomorrow to compete in his third meet – the Malaysian Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil this weekend – and fans can expect another good outing from him.
Hakimi said it was not easy to compete in two meets in such a short time.
“I’m pleased with my efforts as I surpassed the 16-metre mark in both championships. I did not push myself hard in the Singapore meet as I want to conserve my energy for the meet on Sunday in Bukit Jalil,” said Hakimi.
He holds the SEA Games and national record of 16.77m, which he did at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in 2017.
Hakimi said he is saving his best for the Malaysian GP where he hopes to earn a berth to the Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar from April 21-24.
The Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) are using the Malaysian GP to select athletes for the Asian meet.
Malaysian Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian also had a good day at the Singapore Open when he clocked his season’s best twice in the men’s 110m hurdles to win the bronze medal en route to qualifying for the SEA Games in the Philippines in December.
The Sabahan posted 13.86 in the heats in the morning and returned 13.82 in the final.
The 31-year-old surpassed the SEA Games qualifying mark of 14.10.
Two Hong Kong hurdlers ended up in a photo finish in the 110m hurdle final. Mui Ching Yeung and Chan Chun Wang both clocked 13.77 with the former awarded the gold medal.