ATHLETICS: Iskandar wants to soar
By Devinder Singh | devinder@mediaprima.com.my
HIGHER:
National pole vault record holder targets setting a new mark at the ATF
The 19-year-old Iskandar will be
making his ATF debut and is one of several young talented athletes emerging
from the ashes of the Malaysian Athletic Federation's previous disastrous
regime.
ISKANDAR Alwi knows that to
win a medal at the Asian Track and Field Championships today is wishful
thinking and will instead attempt to rewrite the national pole vault record he
broke earlier this year.
Along with discus thrower Irfan
Shamsuddin and high jumper Yap Sean Yee, Iskandar is one of three teenagers to
have broken or equalled a national record this year.
And the athlete from Johor does not
intend to rest on his laurels as he attempts to make an impression when the
competition begins at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune, India.
Iskandar is ranked ninth of 14
vaulters on the entry list, which is led by China's Xue Changrui with a
season's best of 5.65m.
"The standard of the
competition is very high and I will be one of the few to start at a lower entry
of around 4.60m," said Iskandar, whose national record is 5.01m, ahead of
the seven-member squad's departure on Sunday.
"I just have to focus on my own
performance and not worry about the others.
"I will take it step by step
and hope to break the national record."
Iskandar is adjusting to new poles,
which are longer than the one he used to set the new national record at the
FTKLAA All-Comers meet in March.
"When switching to longer
poles, it involves several changes to my technique.
"I have to add a few more steps
to my run up and I also have to allow for more space to ground the pole into
position and make the vault.
"It's working well so far and I
came close to breaking the record at the Johor Open (last month) but could not
clear 5.05m."
The three other athletes in action
today are Anchois Aron in the men's 400m heats and S. Komalam Shally and
Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli in the women's 100m heats, who are also also making
their ATF debut.
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