Malaysian female candidates in athletics for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

A female athlete maybe selected to represent Malaysia at the Olympics. In the previous two editions, Malaysia was represented by Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (2016) and Noraseela Mohd Khalid (2012). No Malaysian female athletes have qualified for this year's Olympics. Thus, the following may apply:

a. NOCs (country) with no male or female qualified athlete or relay team will be allowed to enter their best ranked male athlete or their best ranked female athlete in one athletic event, with the exception of the Combined Events, 10,000m and 3000m Steeplechase.

b. This applies equally to unqualified female entries from an NOC with qualified males, and vice versa

Using my specific's year database and compilation including info from my fellow ATFS colleague Heinrich Hubbeling (Asian Athletics Association), Tilastopaja.org, and World Athletics, here is a list of Malaysia's possible candidates for the 2020 Olympics. 

 

These information considers current performance of the athletes during the period of 2019 to present (i.e. season best). 

Husniah (100m), Kirthana (triple jump), Yap Sean Yee (high jump) and Grace (hammer)

Final decision by Malaysian Athletics Federation:  

......................................................................

Azreen Nabila Alias (100m)

• Age: 21
• 2021 SEA Top List: 6th (4th for SEA Games)
• 2019 SEA Games: N/A
• World Athletics Ranking:  1405th / 989 points
• Season Best & Result Score:  11.92 (1007 points)
• National Record Holder: No
• Personal Best: 11.81s, Ipoh, 2018
• All-Time Best Performances: 

          o Asian Youth – 6th (2017)

• Progress at 100m: 2015- 12.17, 2016- 12.02, 2017- 12.26, 2018- 11.81, 2019- 11.92, 2021- 12.00.

Grace Wong Xiu Mei (Hammer Throw)

• Age: 21
• 2021 SEA Top List: 1st 
• 2019 SEA Games: silver medal
• World Athletics Ranking: 274th / 916 points 
• Season Best (Result Score): 62.48m (972 points)
• National Record Holder: YES (62.48m)
• All-Time Best Performances: 

          o Asian Championships: 5th (2015) 
          o SEA Games – Gold (2017)

• Progress at hammer throw: 2015- 53.80, 2016- 57.76, 2017- 60.99, 2018- 56.51, 2019- 55.82, 2020- 62.61 (trials), 2021- 62.48.

Kirthana Ramasamy (Triple Jump)

• Age: 24
• 2021 SEA Top List: 3rd 
• 2019 SEA Games: 4th 
• 2019 ASIAN Championships: 5th 
• World Athletics Ranking: 135th / 1057 points 
• Season Best (Result Score):  13.33m (1049 points) 
• National Record Holder: No
• All-Time Best Performances (Pre-2019): 

          o SEA Games – 4th (2017)
          o Asian Juniors – Gold medal (2016)
          o World Juniors – Qualifying round (2016) 

• Progress at triple jump: 2015- 13.13, 2016- 13.31, 2017- 13.48, 2018- 12.95, 2019- 13.35*, 2020- 13.06, 2021- 13.21.

Siti Fatimah Mohamad (100m)

• Age: 34
• 2021 SEA Top List: 9th (6th for SEA Games)
• 2019 SEA Games: N/A
• World Athletics Ranking: 1138th / 1005 points 
• Season Best & Result Score:  11.93 (1020 points)
• National Record Holder: No
• Personal Best: 11.77s, Kuala Lumpur, 2008
• All-Time Best Performances: 

          o Asian Championships – 6th (2017) 
          o SEA Games – 5th (2017)

• Progress at 100m: 2015- 12.09, 2016- 11.87, 2017- 11.80, 2018- 12.04, 2019- 11.91, 2021- 12.12.

Yap Sean Yee (High Jump)

• Age: 26
• 2021 SEA Top List: 1st 
• 2019 SEA Games: Gold medal
• World Athletics Ranking: 209th / 1029 points 
• Season Best (Result Score):  1.81m (1023 points)
• National Record Holder: YES (1.83m, 2017)
• All-Time Best Performances: 

          o Asian Championships - 5th (2015)
          o Commonwealth Games 2014 – Qualifying round
          o SEA Games – bronze (2017)

• Progress at high jump: 2014- 1.75m, 2015- 1.77m, 2016- 1.79m, 2017- 1.83m, 2018- 1.78m, 2019- 1.81m, 2020- 1.76m, 2021- 1.80m.

Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (100m)

• Age: 27
• 2021 SEA Top List: N/A
• 2019 SEA Games: N/A
• World Athletics Ranking:  806th / 1031 points 
• Season Best (Result Score):  11.68s (1056 points)
• National Record Holder: No
• Personal Best: 11.59s, Weinheim, 2018
• All-Time Best Performances: 

          o Rio Olympics – heats 
          o Asian Games 2018 – 8th 
          o Commonwealth Games 2018 – semi-final
          o World University Games – semi-final
          o SEA Games – silver (2017)

• Progress at 100m: 2013- 11.87, 2014- 11.62, 2015- 11.69, 2016- 11.67, 2017- 11.61, 2018- 11.59, 2019- 11.65.

*insufficient into (e.g. wind reading)

The lists will be updated if necessary

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Lee Hup Wei won high jump Continental Tour in Kazakhstan

Lee Hup Wei grabbed high jump gold medal of the 2021 edition of Gusman Kosanov Memorial, aka World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze in Almaty, Kazakhstan (20 June).

The 34-year-old cleared a height of 2.10m, beating Uzbekistan's Timur Rakhmatullaev and Kazakhstan's Alexandr Timoshin in second and third, respectively. Both achieved the same height of 2.08m.

He collected around 1062 points including the winning point of 60, which is not quite sufficient to improve his current world rankings (20th place) at 1235 points.

Hup Wei's five best result scores he achieved within the Olympic qualifications (from 30 June 2019 until end of this month), earned him 1235 points on average for 26th position on the rankings for the Olympics. 

Lee Hup Wei won high jump gold in Kazakhstan open 2021

For the first time, World Athletics consider world rankings (i.e. point system) and direct qualifying standard (2.33m) to determine the high jump's 32 best athletes in the Olympics.

Thanks to Hup Wei's world championship points of 1337, achieved for his 8th placing (with 2.27m) in the finals, and 1270 for his 9th placing (with 2.29m) in the qualifying round.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Nyepa took silver medal in the men's 200m final (21.76). Ilham Suhaimi was in 3rd position for bronze, clocking 21.92. Kazakhstan's Vitaliy Zems took the victory in 21.19.

In the men's triple jump, Hakimi Ismail was in 4th placing after clearing 15.62m. Iran's Hamidreza Kia leaped 16.18m for gold, while Uzbekistan's Ivan Denisov grabbed the silver medal (16.10).

Elsewhere, Kazakhstan's Olympic champion Olga Rypakova registered 6.25m to win the women's long jump, while teammate Irina Ektova was second in 6.08m. Olga Safronova of Kazakhstan clocked 23.01 to win the women's 200m. In women's pole vault, Kazakhstan's Anastasiya Ermakova cleared 4.00m to win gold medal. Mostafa Elgamel of Egypt won the men's hammer in a good throw of 73.23m. Krygistan's Nursultan Keneshbekov clocked 14:48.47 to win the men's 5000m.

Read Day 1 news here.

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Choo Kang Ni bagged discus gold in Memorial Meeting, Kazakhstan

Connie Choo Kang Ni secured the gold medal in the discus throw on the first day of the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event, also known as the "Gusman Kosanov Memorial," held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on June 19, 2021.

Recently recovering from an injury, the 27-year-old multiple SEA Games silver medalist achieved a throw of 43.65m. Clearly, she was attempting to regain her regular form. Her personal best of 47.91m was set at the 2017 SEA Games.

Second place went to Yulianna Shukina of Uzbekistan with a throw of 38.90m, while Alina Vorontsova of Kazakhstan secured third place with a throw of 36.78m.

Connie Choo won women's discus throw in Kazakhstan Open 2021

In the men's 100m, Jonathan Nyepa finished in second place, securing the silver medal with a time of 10.64 (-1.4). He was leading up to the 80m mark before being overtaken by Kazakhstan's Vitaliy Zems, who took the gold with a time of 10.57.

The women's 100m dash event was won by Kazakhstan's former Asian champion, Olga Safronova, with a time of 11.60.

Iran's Sajjad Hashemiahangari clocked 45.85 to clinch the gold in the men's 400m. Malaysia's Muhammad Ilham Suhaimi finished in 4th place with a time of 48.47.

Kazakhstan's David Yefremov won the men's 110m hurdles with a time of 13.66, followed by his teammate Yevgeniy Prokudin, who finished second with a time of 13.84. Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian secured 3rd place, clocking 14.18.

The women's high jump was won by Nadezhda Dubovitskaya of Kazakhstan, who cleared 1.96m. SEA Games champion Yap Sean Yee cleared a good height of 1.80m to place 5th.

Elsewhere, world-class thrower Shahin Mehrdelan of Iran won the gold medal in the men's shot put with a distance of 20.27m. The second place in this event went to Ravil Mansurbayev of Kazakhstan, with a throw of only 12.53m.

Ildar Akhmadiev of Tajikistan won the men's long jump with a distance of 7.46m. In the men's discus throw, Yevgeniy Labutov of Kazakhstan took the gold with a throw of 51.46m. Sharifa Daronova of Uzbekistan claimed victory in the women's triple jump with a distance of 13.01m.

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