Flash Performance___On Saturday (7 December) the second day of athletics in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, Thailand's Kittipong Boonmawan has thrown the iron ball at a distance of 67.56m to take the gold medal in the men's hammer throw while erasing the games record of 65.90m.
Malaysia's defending champion Jackie Wong Siew Cheer seems unable to repeat what he had been doing during the previous months and years.
He settled for the silver medal in the best distance of 63.83m.
He also had fouled three times, which seemed to deny his chance of getting good marks.
An 8-meter mark would have won the gold medal in all the SEA Games editions, but not during the most recent one at Clark, the Philippines.
Two legal marks of over 8 meters were set in a dramatic men's long jump finals on Saturday evening (7 December).
At first, Malaysian youngster Andre Anura @ Anuar who had jumped 7.90m last month had two massive foul jumps beyond 8 meters, during his first and second jumps.
However, it was Indonesia's Asian Games bronze medalist Sapwaturrahman who eventually claimed the gold medal.
Andre Anura leaped 8.02m in long jump
With a personal best of 8.09m, the 25-year-old former Indonesian sprinter has registered a distance of 8.03m (+0.5) during his fourth attempt, renewing the Games Record of 7.87m by Henry Dagmil of the Philippines since 2007.
The 20-year-old Andre responded that during his last attempt but merely shy from grabbing the top spot. He secured the silver medal.
He recorded a distance measuring 8.02m to become the first Malaysian to achieve an 8-meter mark in the long jump.
Thailand's former Asian decathlon champion Suttisak Singkhon who stands 6'3" and weighs 95kg, had a new PB of 7.89m, which would also renew the previous GR, but only enough for a bronze medal.
It was unfortunate for Andre that he had "deemed to be better" jumps which were fouled, while his best legal jump was against a slight breeze (-0.1).
Andre now owns the Malaysian national record by renewing the mark of 7.88m by Josbert Tinus since 2007.
Of note, Andre's 7.90m mark last month was not ratified by the national federation due to the absence of wind reading, and "technical constraints" (meeting not recognized).
FLASH PERFORMANCE ___ Fil-Am sprinter Kristina Knott had already erased the games record earlier in the morning as she clocked 23.07, to win the women's 200m in the afternoon with another record-breaking.
The 24-year-old improved her time to 23.01 for a new SEA Games record, as well as a national record.
Vietnam's defending champion Le Tu Chinh settled for silver in 23.45, while the 2015 champion Veronica Pereira of Singapore secured the bronze (23.77).
Kristina Knott had a good warm-up in this (Saturday) morning, running her 200m heats comfortably in a new personal best of 23.07 (0.0).
Her effort has bettered the old SEA Games mark of 23.30 set by Thailand’s Supavadee Khawpeag during the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 18 years ago.
She also broke Zion Corrales-Nelson's national record of 23.16 that was set in last April, which renewed the 23.35 record held by Lydia De Vega for 34 years.
The 24-year-old who had set personal bests this year of 11.42 and 23.62 in 100m and 200m, respectively trains under American coach Rohsaan Griffin whose PB in 200m is 20.13s.
FLASH PERFORMANCE___Russel Taib sounds SEA Games warning as he clocks 20.99s in Joanna Stone Shield 200m win on Saturday (23 June 2019) - his last competition leading up to the SEA Games in Manila.
In March this year, he set the current 200m national record of 20.77, bettering Khairul Hafiz's record of 20.90 from 2017.
In SEA Games, Russel will take part in the 200m and the 4x100m.
Personal bests
100m - 10.42
200m - 20.77 (Malaysian national record)
All-Time best performance 100m
10.42 (+1.9) Brisbane, 16 Nov 2019
10.49 (+1.9) Brisbane, 9 Mar 2019
10.49 (+1.9) Brisbane, 23 Mar 2019
10.53 (+0.4) Brisbane, 9 Mar 2019
With only three weeks prior to SEA Games, Malaysian sprinter Russel Alexander Nasir Taib is on the right track to perform his best.
He just set a new personal best of 10.42 (+1.9) in the 100m at the Benita Willis Shield, a summer season track meeting in Brisbane, Australia yesterday (16 November).
The 21-year-old improved from 10.49 he set earlier in March.
He won his 100m race ahead of Hugh Donovan who recorded 10.62 in second, and Prosper Nwoko in third (10.68).
In this annual QA Shield Series, he also competed in his pet event, the 200m and stopped the clock at 21.05 (+1.7), his 3rd fastest time under a legal condition.
As in the 100m, he finished first ahead of Donovan (21.37), with Reece Holder was very close in third (21.38).
In SEA Games next month, Russel is scheduled to represent Malaysia at the 200m, with Thailand's Siripol Punpa could be his main rival.
Punpa leads the Southeast Asian rankings with 20.76, he set at an altitude in Erzurum, Turkey in July.
According to PASI (Indonesian Athletics Federation), Lalu Zohri the world junior champion will skip the games.
Despite setting 10.03 in 100m, and 20.81 in 200m, Lalu Zohri would be excluded from the SEA Games as the federation is not keen to send those who have excelled at an elite level (including Lalu Zohri) for the regional games.
The men's 100m race of the 3rd SSBJ Open Championships at the National Stadium (warm-up track) would have been one of the most intense "battlefield" among Malaysia's local sprinters.
The likes of Khairul Hafiz Jantan whose PB is 10.18, Jonathan Nyepa (PB 10.28), Aqil Yasmin (PB 10.39), Zulfiqar Ismail (PB 10.40), Nixson Kennedy (PB 10.43), and Haiqal Hanafi (PB 10.43) were listed in the "E Race" (last of 5 final races) of the men's 100m. But Haiqal Hanafi emerged as the winner, confirming his "number 1" status among Malaysians, just like what he did during the national title in August.
Haiqal clocked 10.44 to win the senior 100m race
He crossed the line comfortably in 10.44, ahead of Aqil and Jonathan who were almost absolutely together on the line and had to be determined by a photo-finish.
Aqil was ahead of Jonathan by less than 10 milliseconds. The official times for both were captured as 10.63.
Khairul Hafiz Jantan, who had a series of injuries this year, was in the fifth position in 10.79.
Zulfiqar withdrew as he was not fully ready to compete after an injury.
In the youth category, Malaysian youngster Azeem Fahmi, 15, whose best times of 10.63 in 100m and 21.15 in 200m, which he set earlier this year to become one of the world's fastest sprinters for his age, had a splendid run and clocked 10.57, a new personal best to win the under-16 race. Read here for details.
In men's long jump, Luqman Hakim Ramlan had a good leap of 7.77m right after a one-hour "break" due to heavy rain.
Lokman Hakim registered a season-best of 7.77m in long jump
Meanwhile, in the women's 100m, Zaidatul Husniah regained a fine form as she clocked 11.84 (+0.4) to win her race ahead of training partner Azreen Nabila who set a season-best in 11.92.
Husniah won her 100m race in 11.84
Earlier in women's 1500m, SEA Games representative Savinder Kaur finished her race in 4:27.45, a good timing, which is the 3rd fastest time recorded by a Malaysian in more than 20 years.
She now on the 3rd of Malaysia's all-time best performance, getting close to P. Jayanthi's national record of 4:23.49 from 1993, and Yuan Yufang's 4:24.46 from the 1997 SEA Games.
Best and selected results during day 1 (16 November) as follows;
MEN / BOYS
100m (16) Final B (0.0)
1. Muhammad Amirul Asyari 10.97
2. Mohd Shahmimi Azmi 11.11
3. Muhammad Akmal 11.13
4. Raja Muhammad Danial 11.15
Final E (wind: )
1. Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi 10.44
2. Muhammad Aqil Yasmin 10.63 (.621)
3. Jonathan Nyepa 10.63 (.628)
4. Muhammad Syazrul Adli 10.76
5. Khairul Hafiz Jantan 10.79
6. Nixson Kennedy 10.83
7. Muhammad Zahid Roskalana 11.05
1500m (16)
1. Bechman 4:02.59
2. Ahmad Luth Hamizan 4:04.86
3. Mohmad Amirul Arif 4:12.46
Pole Vault (16)
1. Iskandar Alwi 5.15
2. Mohamed Akmal 4.00
3. Asrul Badroldin 3.90
Long Jump (16)
1. Luqman Hakim Ramlan 7.77 / +0.7
2. Andre Anura @ Anuar 7.76 / +0.3
3. Muhammad Nazri Mustafa 7.56 / + 0.6