KUALA LUMPUR – National athletics coach Mohd Poad Md Kassim has recommended that the organisers of the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak amend the athletic event schedule to accommodate five young national athletes participating in the World Athletics Championships Under-20 (U20) in Lima, Peru.
Poad, who has coached athletes at two World Athletics Championships U20, in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2016 and Cali, Colombia, in 2022, believes this opportunity is crucial for young athletes to compete with the world’s best.
The athletics schedule at Sukma Sarawak is set for five days, from August 18 to 23, while the U20 World Athletics Championships will commence four days later, from August 27 to 31.
The five athletes who have qualified for Peru are Fiross Faizal, competing in the men’s 110m hurdles, Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam (100m and 200m), Hanssen Yap (100m) from Sabah, Ng Tak Sing (triple jump) from Penang, and Sayyid Amin Roslan (200m) from Perak.
The Malaysia Athletic Federation has been actively exploring various options to present to the state sports council to allow their athletes to compete in Peru.
“I understand that Sukma will be held first, and then the World Championships. Perhaps the organisers could discuss with all involved parties to reschedule events involving these athletes earlier.
“In my opinion, it’s a matter of discretion, because Sukma serves as a platform for nurturing national athletes, and now we have athletes who have qualified for the World Championships, so I think it would be a loss if they can’t participate.
“In terms of planning, these qualified athletes need at least four days before starting their events in Peru,” said Poad.
In Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2016, Malaysia was represented by Badrul Hisham Abdul Manap, Khairul Hafiz Jantan, Mohd Rizzua Muhammad, and R. Kirthana.
After competing in the World Championships, they swiftly returned to Malaysia to participate in Sukma Sarawak.
It was during this event that Khairul broke the national record in the 100m sprint, clocking in at 10.18 seconds, surpassing Watson Nyambek’s previous record of 10.30s.
In the 2022 edition in Cali, Colombia, Azeem Fahmi Muhammad broke the national record with a time of 10.09s.
“Actually, at that time, we had discussions with each state sports council.
“I was lucky because the National Sports Council was very supportive, and we assured them that the athletes would not only perform well at the World Championships but also Sukma.
“The time gap between the two championships was only a week, so as coaches, we ensured the athletes were in the best condition.
“I still remember, as soon as we landed at KLIA, we had a few hours before flying to Kuching for Sukma. I instructed Khairul and Badrul to do some light exercises and short sprints around the waiting area to keep their bodies fit.
“My advice to qualified athletes for Peru is not to miss this opportunity because it only comes once in a lifetime. The atmosphere is very different from other championships you have participated in before,” he added. – May 19, 2024