KUALA LUMPUR – National track and field athlete Rizzua Haizad Muhammad is setting his sights high as he aims for his third consecutive win in the 110m hurdles event at the upcoming Pahang Super Series.
The event is scheduled to take place at Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan this Saturday.
Rizzua, aged 27, has already secured victory in the first leg of the Super Series in Johor, clocking an impressive time of 14.19 seconds.
Despite facing lingering back injuries, he replicated this success in Perak last week with a time of 14.22 seconds.
“I want to continue improving my timing because for local competitions, I can run around 14.00 seconds,” says Rizzua.
“It’s not that I can’t run under that time, but right now, I am still injured, and I am unsure how long it will last.
“But, I believe that if I am fully fit, I can achieve my personal best timing of 13.85 seconds set at the Asian Track and Field Championships.
“Anyway, I want to try to maintain my winning streak for all the Super Series until the Grand Final, because it will be held in my hometown in Sarawak.”
The Super Series Championship, organised by the Malaysia Athletic Federation (MAF), is part of the governing body’s initiative to further enhance the local sports calendar, offering cash prizes to participants.
To secure his qualification for the Grand Final Super Series at the Sarawak Open October 25-27, Rizzua needs to maintain his consistency in the upcoming Terengganu Open on July 26-28, and the Kuala Lumpur Open on September 20-22.
Despite grappling with an injury, Rizzua emphasised the necessity of sustained effort to secure his spot in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
Last year, his name was left out of representing the country at the Cambodia SEA Games 2023, as MAF decided to choose younger athletes for exposure.
“At that time, I did question why I wasn’t given the opportunity to compete in Cambodia, but I accepted it and continued with my life.
“But that didn’t break my spirit because I still have one more dream that has yet to be fulfilled, which is to try to break Rayzam Shah’s national record of 13.67 seconds, which has stood for seven years.
“I believe that if I can perform very well this year, and maintain my timing, it is not impossible for me to break his record and aim for a medal at the SEA Games,” he added. – May 16, 2024