Ajmal Hurdling To Glory

IT has been one whole thrilling journey for junior hurdler Muhd Ajmal Aiman Mat Hassan completing his secondary school education journey at the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).

Following the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, the lad from Besut, Terengganu will be approaching another crucial cross-road.

National back-up hurdles coach Ishtiaq Mobarak reckons the promising teenager has a bright future ahead chasing to clock faster times without compromising on his tertiary education.

All rounder: Ajmal (left) receiving the Best Overall Student award from Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim’s wife Datin Seri Maznah Rais (right) at the recent Bukit Jalil Sports School Young Olympian Night. Looking on is BJSS principal Marina Chin.

“Over the years, he has been producing good results at junior level. It will be a more challenging phase as he enters the specialisation stage dealing with the heavier load in training to prepare for the senior level.

“We are hoping that he will be fired up to scale greater heights. He has matured and developed good personal qualities during his tenure in BJSS. He is a likeable character and possesses pleasant personality,” Ishtiaq added.

The 17-year-old Ajmal under the tutelage of former Olympian Ishtiaq has stamped his mark beyond his exploits clearing the hurdles on the running track.

Besides attaining good grades in his studies, Ajmal finds the time in between to contribute serving as the BJSS head boy this year.

And he went on to secure top prize when he was named as the recipient of the Best Overall Student at the recent BJSS Young Olympian Night with his solid all-round effort.

Runner-up: Sabah’s Rayzamshah (right) and Mohd Ajmal competing in the men’s 110m hurdles final at the Sukma Games in Malacca in June. Ajmal had to settle for the silver in this race.

Two years ago, Ajmal indicated that he was a possible candidate to taste a sweeter personal glory when he picked up the BJSS Most Promising Sportsboy award.

After joining BJSS as a new recruit back in 2006, Ajmal immediately got off to a flying start and he showed his promise in the boys’ Under-14 age-group with outstanding performances at his first international debut at the International Little Athletics Meet in Singapore followed by another outing at the Thailand Sports Schools Games. However, Ishtiaq recalled that Ajmal was just an underdog when he was selected to join the programme at BJSS.

“He was not the best from the Under-12 age-group. We knew that he deserved a chance to prove his worth because he had better physical attributes compared to his peers, who ran faster than him then. And he repaid our faith in him and accomplished goals ahead of his age when he reached 15,” Ishtiaq said.

At the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) meet in 2008, Ajmal captured the boys’ Under-15 110m hurdles gold medal in record breaking feat and settled for second in a closely contested 200m hurdles event behind his current training mate Mohamed Baihaqi Razlan of Kelantan.

A year later, Ajmal continued his domination stepping up to emerge as champion of the boys’ Under-18 110m hurdles race at the MSSM.

However, it was unfortunate that he was forced to skip several international junior meets due to inevitable situations. At the senior level, he registered his personal best of 14.31s to settle for the silver medal at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Malacca in June this year.

Ajmal also savoured a fruitful stint joining the senior ranks earning a bronze medal with a time of 14.61s at the Asian All-Stars meet in New Delhi in July.

En route to earning a place at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore, Ajmal registered a personal best of 13.77s to finish second for hurdles’ height lower than senior level at the Asian qualifier also held in Singapore in May.

But, he suffered an under par performance clocking a poor 14.54s and failed to make it to the final at the actual Games in Aug.

“Besides riding on the high, he has also hit the rock bottom. He has to learned to bounce back strongly from the substandard display. Dealing with the disruptions beyond control and going through the ups and downs are just part and parcel of growing up,” Ishtiaq said.

For the new season, Ajmal will need another big push to get back into top shape after he shifted his focus to concentrate on his studies for two months before sitting for the SPM.

Ishtiaq said they rushing to push Ajmal hard in the pre-season conditioning training and will allow him to find his rhythm gradually after a brief break over the Christmas and New Year period.

“He will have the advantage of training full time to prepare and compete in the senior competitions scheduled in mid-year.

“It will be great for him to have a crack to qualify for the SEA Games at Indonesia next year,” he added.