KUALA LUMPUR – With Shereen Samson Vallabouy’s chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics in the 400m sprint slipping away, she now faces a critical decision about the next steps in her athletic career in the United States.
Shereen is now at a crossroads as her contract with her coach Derrick White approaches its end in August.
Upon completing her studies at Winona State University in Minnesota in May, Shereen received assistance from the Youth and Sports Ministry with a grant package totalling RM400,000 to continue her journey in the United States.
The Ipoh-born athlete began training under White at Lifespeed Athletics Florida in June last year. Within five months, she achieved positive results by winning a bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
After nearly a year with White, Shereen acknowledged significant improvements, especially in her race times. She even managed to break the national record several times since April last year – one held by the late Rabia Abdul Salam for 30 years.
“After the Asean University Games (AUG), it’s my off-season. So I’ll take a bit of rest before starting the new season.
“I’m not sure how things will go because it depends on my contract and coaching renewal. But currently, I would love to continue training with my coach.
“I’ve been making consistent progress since I started training with him last year. It takes time for my body to adapt.
“I believe if I keep training hard, the progress will continue.
“In my last year of college, he reached out to me on social media after seeing me run in the NCAA Division 2. He scouts athletes from there.
“I went to Florida for a week to try out his training and liked the environment and his coaching style, which is why I decided to move there after college,” said Shereen, who was met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport today after participating in the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Although she successfully clinched a gold medal, her time of 52.60sec fell short of her Olympic Paris qualification target of 50.95sec.
Therefore, Shereen is keen to sit down with the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council (NSC) soon to seek assistance in continuing her training in the United States under White’s guidance.
Shereen also believes that if she does not qualify for Paris this time, she will need a structured training programme and continuous exposure to championships over the next four years to qualify on merit for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The last time Malaysia had a representative in the women’s 400m at the Olympic Games was through Josephine Mary Singarayar at the Seoul 1988 Olympics, who is also Shereen’s mother.
“I think adapting to the programme is different from college. It’s more on a professional level, and I think my body still needs time to adapt.
“I believe the second year will be better than the first year.
“My long-term goal is to compete until LA2028, and I’m not sure if I will continue beyond that, which I’ll decide later.
“But for the upcoming years, there are World Championships, Commonwealth Games, SEA Games, and Asian Games. So I’d like to continue training and see how it goes.
“I am very thankful to the Sports Ministry, especially to Hannah Yeoh, though I’m not sure how it works (negotiations).
“Depending on this season, maybe I could meet with the ministry and NSC to discuss the matter,” she added. – Jun 25, 2024