Arsyad has the X-factor to excel in sprint events, says coach Poad

KUALA LUMPUR: Standing at an impressive 1.84m, the possibility of Mohd Arsyad Md Saat emerging as the country’s next sprint king looks very promising indeed based on his recent performance.

The 18-year-old upset the fancied stars to win the men’s 100m event in the Athletics Grand Prix at the National Sports Council Mini Stadium in Bukit Jalil last Saturday and set a new personal best of 10.62s, compared to 10.70 which he recorded at the National Schools (MSSM) meet in 2019.

Arsyad did better than Sarawak’s Jonathan Nyepa, who finished second with 10.70 while Mohd Azeem Mohd Fahmi from Perak came in third with 10.85.

According to Mohd Poad Md Kassim, who has been coaching Arsyad since 2019, the athlete’s lanky body would be the X-factor for him to excel in many more sprint events in the future.

“Arsyad has great potential in terms of height compared to other athletes. I believe he can set new records in the future,” said Poad.

Poad admitted that he did not expect the teen athlete to win the event and only aimed to set a new personal record at the Grand Prix.

But he hoped the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School student could maintain his momentum and boost his chance of being listed in the men’s 4x100m quartet to the SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, in November.

Previously, Poad had coached two sprint kings to win gold medals in the blue-riband event at two consecutive SEA Games – Khairul Hafiz Jantan at the Kuala Lumpur edition in 2017 and Mohd Haiqal Hanafi in Manila, the Philippines, in 2019.