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.

http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/athletics-iskandar-wants-to-soar-1.311970

Iskandar aims to be Asia’s best pole vaulter

KUALA LUMPUR: Teenager Iskandar Alwi has set his sights on becoming Asia’s top men’s pole vaulter after breaking the national record at the FTAA All-Comers Athletics Championships at the National Sports Council (NSC) Training Track in Bukit Jalil last Saturday.

The 19-year-old Kluang-born athlete leapt to a personal best height of 5.01m to erase the 11-year-old record of 5.00m set by his coach Teh Weng Chang in 2002.

He has also qualified for Myanmar SEA Games by surpassing the qualifying mark of 5.00m, which is the silver medal winning mark of the previous Games.

Iskandar left for Taiwan on Monday to participate in the Taiwan International Indoor Pole Vault championships this weekend with the hope of finishing on the podium.

Iskandar, who took up the event only four years ago, said that he not only wants to return home with a medal but also wants to keep improving.

“My mission this year is to win a medal in the SEA Games and to achieve that I need to clear 5.20m. It will be really great if I can win the gold in the Games and then proceed to be the best pole vaulter in Asia,” said Iskandar.

Iskandar, who also holds the Sukma (Malaysia Games) record of 4.80m, which he set in Kuantan last year, said that hopes to earn a berth to the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olymics.

“My childhood dream is compete in the Olympics and to achieve that I have to clear at least 5.60m,” said Iskandar, who is doing his pre-university studies at the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).

Besides Iskandar, two other women pole vaulters Valerie Tan Ee Leen and Chuah Yu Tian, will also feature in the Taiwan meet.

Valerie won gold in the FTAAA All-Comers meet by clearing 3.40m while Yu Tian bagged the silver with a height of 3.20m.

Valerie, who is waiting for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination results, won the gold in the Asian School Championships in Surabaya by clearing 3.40m last year.

The two women pole vaulters are slated to take over from four-time SEA Games gold medallist Roslinda Samsu, who retired two months ago.

http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Other-Sport/2013/03/13/Iskandar-aims-to-be-Asias-best-pole-vaulter.aspx/

Iskandar breaks pole vault record

By G. ARAVIND

 

Iskandar Alwi

ISKANDAR ALWI broke the national record for the pole vault at the FTKLAA All Corners Athletics Championship at the National Sports Council track in Bukit Jalil today.

The 19-year-old’s leap of 5.01m broke the national record of 5.00m that was set by his coach Teh Weng Chang in 2002.

Weng Chang set the record at a local meet in Kuala Lumpur.

This is the first competition of the year for the Bukit Jalil Sports School athlete and Iskandar knew the record was within his reach even before the competition started.

“I tried to break the record in the Thailand Open last December but I could not get beyond 4.90m. Today was my second attempt at the record and I managed to do it this time,” Iskandar said.

He cleared 4.40m and 4.60m with his first attempt. But he failed in his first attempt at 4.80m.

“It took two attempts for me to clear 4.80m before I decided to try 5.01. I failed in my first attempt but thankfully I succeeded on the second.

The Kluang-born athlete has now set his target on qualifying for the SEA Games in December.

“Qualifying is my main priority but for now I can’t be thinking of winning the gold medal because I will have to at least jump 5.30m to have a chance to be among the medal contenders.

“I’m also planning to change the length of my pole to 4.75m to enable me to attempt even higher jumps. The pole he is using now is 4.60m.

Iskandar’s switch from high jump to pole vault six years ago has paid off handsomely as he also holds the Sukma record in pole vault.

He broke the record last year with a leap of 4.80m to better the previous record of 4.71m set by Wong Teck Ho of Sarawak in Kedah in 2006.

Weng Chang, who has been coaching Iskandar for the past one and a half years, said he was happy that his athlete had broken the record.

Results
Men
100m: 1.Muhamad Azam (Malacca) 10.85, 2. Asnawi Hashim (Malacca) 11.20, 3. Mohd Robani Hassan (MAU) 11.27
400m hurdles: 1.Badrul Hisyam Abd Rahman (Malacca) 57.68, 2. Amir Amil (Malacca) 63.68, Loh Chun Kien (SMK Seri Sentosa) 65.68
800m: 1.Mohd Jironi Riduan (MAF) 1:54.15, 2. Vadivelan Mahendran (MAF) 1:54.69, 3. Nik Hafiz Nok Mohd (NSC Elite) 1:54.74
20,000m walk: 1. Satyaseelan (Penang) 1:44.28, 2. Mohd Azizi Anwar (NSC Elite) 1:45.32, 3. Mohammad Afiz Firdaus (BJSS) 1:47.56
Long jump: 1. Mohd Afiq Akmal (BJSS) 6.96m, 2. Mohd Saifuddin Ishak (NSC Paralympic) 6.94m, 3. Amir Rushaimi Hamidon (Kuala Lumpur) 6.81m
Pole Vault: 1. Iskandar Alwi (BJSS) 5.01m (NR), 2. Muhammad Afiq Ahmad Alham (Johor) 4.40m, 3. Mohd Fahmee Zamzam Mohamad (BJSS) 4.40m
Shot putt: 1.Muhammad Ziyad Zolkifli (NSC Paralympic) 14.37m, 2. Ammar Ramadzan (TLDM) 13.50m, 3. Goh We Kiang (Johor) 11.74m
Javelin throw: 1. Muhammad Ashraf Abu (Johor) 48.21m, 2. Choi Jian Fai (SMK Seri Sentosa) 46.30m, 3. Muhammad Nurulharitul Fariz (Johor) 46.18
5000m: 1. S.Saranraj (BJSS) 16:17.26, 2. Nik Fararudin Ismail (Navy) 16:20.06, 3. Amirudin Nasir (Navy) 16:45.22

Women
100m: 1. Raja Nur Sheena Raja Azhar (NSC Elite) 12.71, 2. Nur Farhana Md Nasir (NSC) 13.11, 3. Noor Eewan Shafiqah Mohd Sabri (Perak) 13.23
400m hurdles: 1. Aini Nurazira Mohd Ali (BJSS) 70.08, 2. Winnie Eng (SMK Seri Sentosa) 73.12, 3. Intan Syafinaz Rohimi (Kuala Lumpur) 74.41
800m: 1. K.Gandhimathi (MAF) 2:13.09, 2. Savinder Kaur Jogindr Singh (BJSS) 2:20:08, 3. A.Kalaiarasi (Arul Running Club) 2:23.05
20,000m walk: 1. Loh Chooi Fern (BJSS) 2:02.32, 2. Pua Ling En (BJSS) 2:04.25
Triple jump: 1. Noorshahidatul Nadia (BJSS) 12.81m, 2. Kirthana
Ramasamy (BJSS) 12.58m, 3. Nurin Nazirah Mohd Shukor (NSC) 10.59m
Javelin throw: 1. Siti Nurnadia (NSC) 43.95m, 2. Nur Fatin (TLDM)
43.04m, 3. Fatin Nirshahiera (Wilayah Persekutuan) 32.30m
Shot putt: 1. Ramlah Othman (TLDM) 13.24m, 2. Nur Saiyidah Ramli (Independent) 11.40m, 3. Bibi Nuraisah Ishak (BJSS) 11.07m
5000m: 1. Noor Amelia Musa (Police) 18:09.56, 2. S.Sanggeetha (TLDM) 20:08.90, 3.Nur Aishah Ahmad (BJSS) 20:43.55

http://www.sports247.my/2013/03/iskandar-breaks-pole-vault-record/