Kontinjen negara JUARA KESELURUHAN

ISNIN (23 SEPTEMBER 2013)
Oleh Aida Adilah Mat
aida_adilah@media.prima.com.my

Malaysia bag three golds at Asian Schools meet

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

Nirosh Kumar Nathan celebrating after striking gold in the 200m event of the Asian Schools Track and Field Championships.

KUANTAN: Sprinter Nirosh Kumar Nathan came back from a bad start in the 200m event in the Asian Schools Track and Field Championships to clinch the gold medal at the Darul Makmur Stadium on Friday.
Nirosh stopped the clock in 21.87s to take the gold medal ahead of Thailand’s Natthawut Chuchuai (21.92) and A.A Samith Lakmal (22.00) of Sri Lanka.

Despite the win, his time on Friday was just a bit off his personal best of 21.81 which he achieved en route to winning the gold medal (junior category) at the Thailand Open recently.

“At the start I felt some pain in my groin and I realised that it was not the best start I wanted. I was off the pace with the others entering the bend and I had a lot of catching up to do.

“But upon exiting the bend, I knew I had the speed to catch up and went all out towards the finish line. I have to thank my coach (Tan Kok Lim) for his support ... he really believed in me,” said Nirosh.

He was one of three Malaysian gold medallists in the championships on Friday. The other two gold medals came from the girls’ discus throw and 5,000m walk.

In the girls’ discus throw, Queenie Ting overcame a late challenge from compatriot Grace Wong to take the gold medal.

Queenie only chalked the winning throw in the her last attempt with 38.18m. Grace managed 37.39m for the silver medal while Zhang Jiyou of China settled for bronze with 34.50m.

“There was a bit of pressure as I had only my last throw to get a result. I just focused on it and luckily I was successful,” said Queenie, who has a personal best of 40.99m.

In the girls’ 5,000m walk, Elena Goh let her compatriot Pua Ling En do the pace-setting before zooming past her with three laps to go.

Elena grabbed the gold medal in 26:05.64 while Ling En settled for the silver medal in 26:11.12. Binsy A.M of India took the bronze in 29:14.25.

It was a surpsise win for Elena as she had stopped training last month to focus on her SPM examinations at the end of this year.

“I never thought I would be racing again after the World Youth Championships in Ukraine last month. I was only given notice that I would participate in this meet barely a week ago.

“However, I did my best despite the result being nowhere near my personal best of 25:05 which I achieved in April,” she said.

In the boys’ triple jump, India’s Abdulla Aboobacker took home the gold medal with a 14.88m jump. Malaysia’s Nik Farizal Erman Nik Abdul Hadi settled for the silver with 14.78m while Vinura Lakmal of Sri Lanka grabbed the bronze with 14.64m.  

http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Athletics/2013/09/20/Malaysia-bag-three-golds-at-Asian-Schools-meet.aspx

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2013

Nixon leaves ‘office’ to try his luck on another track

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

Nixon Kennedy bagged two gold medals in the Asian Schools Track and Field Championships in the 100m and 4x100m events.

KUANTAN: A glance at Nixon Kennedy and you would probably recall the once great sprinter Watson Nyambek, who holds the national 100m record of 10.30 set in 1998.

Standing at 1.69m, the stout Nixon, who bagged two gold medals in the Asian Schools Track and Field Championships in the 100m and 4x100m events, looked set to replace Watson as one of Malaysia’s most successful track athletes.

But Nixon is an ambitious athlete. With his small build – and the deplorable state of athletics in Malaysia – he knows that an Olympic gold medal in athletics will remain a pipe dream for some time to come.

So, the 18-year-old prefers to switch to another sport in the chase for Olympic glory.

He will join the national track cycling team in Melbourne for training after making the grade in the talent transfer programme last December.

Born in Sarawak “like Watson”, Nixon was scouted to enrol in the Tabuan Jaya Sports School in Kuching after showing glimpses of his ability in primary school.

“After some podium finishes in several meets at primary school level, I was enrolled into the sports school and I took up football.,” said the 18-year-old Nixon.

“I only got into athletics after I finished my Form One studies. At that time, I ran in the 110m hurdles.”

The fourth child of six to Kennedy Anthony and Berambun Entigar, Nixon showed his credentials as a sprinter in Form Three, when he won the 110m and 200m hurdles event in the MSSM that year.

His good performances earned him a spot in the Bukit Jalil Sports School the following year – and he has been based there since.

“I don’t see much of a chance to make it big in the Olympics in athletics. I don’t have the right size to push on ... I’ve always been the smallest in class,” said Nixon.

“But in track cycling, you can see how Azizulhasni (Awang) did it. He is not big, but powerful.

“All I can say is that my venture into cycling is fuelled by my desire to compete and deliver a gold medal in the Olympics.”

The track cycling team could use some added firepower, especially in the team sprint.

Only Azizulhasni and Josiah Ng are seen as capable of clocking good times on the track to be competitive at world level. But they need a third man to make a team.

Mohd Edrus Yunos is not at par with Azizulhasni and Josiah. Although Rizal Tisin, who has resumed training after laying off for two years, can slot into the team, it would be useful to have a bigger pool of riders to choose from.

It is understood that Nixon will fly to Melbourne next month with Mohd Firdaus Mohd Zonis, the junior triple gold medallist at the Asian Championships this year in New Delhi.

“From what I’ve heard from the cycling coaches, I’m due to fly off to Melbourne next month with Firdaus. I’m comfortable starting again at zero because I want to reach the pinnacle of sport ... the Olympic,” he said.

Asked why he was named after the scandal-tainted 37th United States president Richard Nixon, he only chuckle.

“I don’t know why I was named after him ... although my father shares the name of another American president. He never told me about it,” laughed Nixon.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Athletics/2013/09/22/Nixon-leaves-office-to-try-his-luck-on-another-track.aspx

Shahidatun steals show as Malaysia are champs

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

Noor Shahidatun Nadia Mohd Zuki delivers a sensational double after winning the triple jump gold medal of the Asian Schools Track and Field Championships at the Darul Makmur Stadium on Sunday.

KUANTAN: Malaysia ended the inaugural Asian Schools Track and Field Championships at the Darul Makmur Stadium with a three-gold blast.

Noor Shahidatun Nadia Mohd Zuki got the ball rolling by delivering a sensational double after winning the triple jump gold medal on Sunday.

S. Saranraj handed Malaysia the second gold in the 3,000m steeplechase before the boys’ 4x400m quartet delivered the third and final gold for the day.

But the day clearly belonged to Shahidatun, who had won the long jump gold on Thursday.

Yesterday, she even managed to chalk up a personal best of 13.01m en route to winning the triple jump gold medal.

She had been working hard over the last two years to breach the 13m mark and yesterday it paid off.

Her previous best of 12.99m was set at the Federal Territories All-Comers meet in Kuala Lumpur last year.

“I’m very, very happy with the win today ... and to break my own personal best makes it even sweeter,” said the 17-year-old Kedahan.

“It has been a good outing here in Kuantan, thanks to my winning the long jump and now the triple jump gold medals.

“But, like I said before, the SPM examination is now on my mind.”

Rochelle Maria Macfarlane of India took the triple jump silver medal after clearing 12.64m while H.D.V Lakshani of Sri Lanka took the bronze with 12.63m.

As for Saranraj, it was a case of being third time lucky.

Having been disappointed to settle for silver in the 5,000m and bronze in the 1,500m, Saranraj was clearly not in the mood to miss out on the coveted gold.

And he did just that in the 3,000m steeplechase, blasting past W.B.M. Samaraweera of Sri Lanka in 10:11.64 to take the gold medal.

The Sri Lankan clocked 10:14.19 for the silver while Thailand’s Natthaphong Ramkhwan (10:24.99) took the bronze.

It was sweet victory for Saranraj as it was Samaraweera who had pipped him to the gold in the 5,000m on Thursday.

“The coaches had initially targeted me to win the 5,000m and 1,500m and not the steeplechase. But I’m happy to win the gold medal and exact revenge on the Thai runner,” said Saranraj.

In the 4x400m event, the quartet of Mohd Firdaus Kimleh, Mohd Azam Masri, Badrul Hisyam Manap and Kwong Kar Jun took home Malaysia’s 12th medal of the championships after crossing the line in 3:16.16.

Thailand (3:19.94) settled for silver and Sri Lanka (3:21.14) the bronze.

Malaysia end the inaugural championships as the overall winners with a 12-14-10 haul ahead of India (12-11-6) and Thailand (10-5-3).

http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Athletics/2013/09/22/Shahidatun-steals-show-as-Malaysia-are-champs.aspx