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.

Read more...

Extreme weather kills 21 elite runners in China ultramarathon

Twenty one elite runners were reportedly died in a 100-km ultra-marathon race in China. They were being hit by a sudden, and extreme weather.

The trail event, named officially as Jiangnan 100 Ultra Trail, was held for its 4th edition in Baiyin City (around Yellow River Stone Forest Park), Gansu province on Saturday (22 May 2021).

The athletes died from hypothermia or excessive exposure of cold temperature as a result of the freezing weather at high altitude, nearing 0°C. Initially, the runners had passed out from the cold temperature. 

Elite Chinese runner Jing Liang, 31, was among those who died. He won all three previous editions of the race.

Such tragedy was thought to be the "most brutal" to ever hit the ultrarunning event. 

Reported that, the race started at 1.00pm (mid-day). Based on a weather report, it was expected that some mild changes in weather pattern would occur. 

However, the weather changed out of nowhere and deteriorated, blasting with heavy freezing rain (with ice) and gale winds. It was virtually storms. 

The disaster occurred at altitudes of 2000m to 3000m above the sea level, approximately at distances between 21km to 30km.

A total of 171 runners took part in the trail race. They were expected to complete the race in 19 to 30+ hours, on average. They wore standard ultra-running t-shirts and shorts.

News and photos courtesy of: 163.com, scmp.com, statistik.d-u-v.org 

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Queenie Ting sets 48.56m to break discus throw national record

SEA Games bronze medalist Queenie Ting Kung Ni  threw a distance of 48.56m to set a new national record in women's discus throw today (11 April) during the 2021 Malaysian Grand Prix meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The 23-year-old eclipsed the previous national record of 47.91m set in the 2017 SEA Games by her  training partner, Connie Choo.

Both are currently under the guidance of coach Mohamad Ali Hamid.

The Physical Education student in UPM improved over 2-metres of her personal best of 46.51m she recorded en-route to win the 2019 national athletics championships.

Queenie Ting Kung Ni

She opened her competition in a dismal throw of 39.70m and improved the mark with 44.27m in the second throw. 

She fouled in her third throw, during which a former national record holder Yap Jeng Tzan (PB: 47.79m) took the lead in 44.82m - her best throw of the competition (3rd place).

As the competition progresses, Queenie fouled again, but improved on her mark to 45.45m in her 5th attempt, before setting the record in the 6th or last attempt.

Connie, who was the winner of previous GP meeting in 2019 (44.39m), and is nursing her injured leg, made a 45.53m throw in the 4th attempt, which surpassed Yap's for second placing.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Lee, a training partner of both Queenie and Connie, won the men's discus throw in 48.50m.

Elsewhere, Ngu Jia Xin won the women's high jump on a countback over Yap Sean Yee (PB 1.83m), both were registering 1.76m. Heptathlete Norliyana Kamaruddin was in 3rd place (1.72m).

Jonah Chang Rigan sets national U20 record in shot put

Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli threw 16.47m to win the men's shot put. Very near trailing the Paralympic champion was Jonah Chang Rigan, 18, who managed a final throw of 16.45m - a new national junior record for a 7.26kg implement.

Selected results (day 2).

MEN

400m

1. Muhammad Ilham Suhaimi 49.06

2. Luqmanul Hakim Khairul Akmal 49.26

3. Ruslem Zikry Putra Roseli 49.57

4. Cheah Yau Chung 50.09

5. Wan Muhammad Fazri Wan Zahari 50.76

Heat 1

1. Wan Muhammad Fazri Wan Zahari 50.01

2. Abdul Wafiy Roslan 50.14

3. Muhammad Aammar Aaman Nor Azmi 50.32

Heat 2

1. Muhammad Ilham Suhaimi 49.08

2. Ruslem Zikry Putra Roseli 49.18

3. Cheah Yau Chung 49.88

4. Muhammad Saiful Safwan Saifuddin 50.21

Heat 3

1. Luqmanul Hakim Khairul Akmal 49.21

2. Tharshan Shanmugam 50.02

3. Khairul Hafiz Jantan 50.03

110m hurdles (w?)

1. Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian 14.50

2. Benedict Ian Gawok 14.78

3. Muhammad Rizzua Haizad Muhammad 14.86

4. Wong Chun Yee 15.01

5. Mohd Fazillah Khamis 15.42

5000m

1. Ahmad Luth Hamizan 15:58.16

2. Dinesh Verma 16:02.98

3. Muhaizar Mohamad 16:04.26

4. Nik Fakaruddin Ismail 16:18.22

5. Daren James Naim 16:19.32

6. Zulkhairi Shahrim 16:20.55

Triple Jump

1. Muhammad Hakimi Ismail 14.52

2. Alvin Roland 14.35

3. Muhammad Hanif Che Hamid 14.03

Shot Put

1. Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli 16.47

2. Jonah Chang Rigan 16.45 / NJR (7.26kg)

3. Kong Chin Poh 15.61

4. Farm Loong Deng 15.60

5. Kamal Farhan A.Rahman 15.04

Discus Throw

1. Abdul Rahman Lee 48.50

2. Tan Jing Cheng 40.76

3. Muhammad Firyal Asyqil Mohd Zawawi 37.30

WOMEN

100m hurdles (w?)

1. Norliayana Kamaruddin 15.49

2. Juriani Mat Rodzi 15.66

3. Nur Shaqirah Cik Mat Kilau 15.66

4. Nur Syafiqah Anis Abu Bakar 16.31

High Jump

1. Ngu Jia Xin 1.76

2. Yap Sean Yee 1.76

3. Norliyana Kamaruddin 1.72

4. Nini Sharmiza Salim 1.60

Long Jump

1. Kirthana Ramasamy 6.00

2. Siti Zubaidah Adabi 5.84

3. Nurul Ashikin Abbas 5.70

4. Winnie Eng May Xin 5.40

Discus Throw

1. Queenie Ting Kung Ni 48.56 / NR

2. Connie Choo Kang Ni 45.53

3. Yap Jeng Tzan 44.82

4. Nur Atiqah Sufiah Md Hanizam 42.07

Day 1 story and results HERE

Complete results HERE

Read more...

Young sprinter Arsyad Md Saad takes 100m victory at Malaysian Grand Prix 2021

Young sprinters Arsyad Md Saad and Azreen Nabila Alias emerged fastest man and woman sprinters, respectively at the 2021 Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur today (10 April 2021).

The 19-year-old Arsyad, despite running into a slight breeze, set his personal best of 10.64 to win the century dash ahead of national sprinter Jonathan Nyepa (10.70) and sprint sensation Azeem Fahmi (10.85).

He is coached by Poad Kassim who trained the 100m's SEA Games gold medalists (Khairul Hafiz Jantan and Haiqal Hanafi) in SSTMI (sports school).

Azeem won the heats (10.67, +1.3) over Jonathan (10.70) who stumbled at the start. Arsyad ran 10.76 (+0.4)  to win the second heat.

Jonathan Nyepa (left), Arsyad Saad, and Azeem Fahmi (right)

Azreen Nabila, 20, even though she seemed to have muscle cramp towards the end, completed her race in 12.00s just ahead of experienced sprinters Komalam Shally (12.01) and Siti Fatimah Mohamad (12.12).

Meanwhile, Kirthana Ramasamy won the women's triple jump in 13.21m, ahead of her teammate Nurul Ashikin Abbas who achieved 13.00m, her first 13m jump legally.

Iskandar Alwi won the men's pole vault in 4.85m; he was unable to clear a 5.00m height.

Lee Hup Wei tore his jumping shoe during the high jump competition and decided to "stop competing." It was after he successfully made a bar clearance of 2.05m.Youngster Eizlan Dahalan won the men's high jump in the same height of 2.05m. 

In hammer throws, Grace Wong broke her own national record with a distance of 62.48m, while Jackie Wong threw 66.47m to win the men's event. Read here for more details.

Selected Results:

MEN

100m Final (w?)

1. Muhammad Arsyad Md Saat 10.64

2. Jonathan Nyepa 10.70

3. Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi 10.85

4. Muhammad Zulfiqar Ismail 10.91

5. Kwong Kar Jun 11.00

Heat 1 (+1.3)

1. Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi 10.67

2. Jonathan Nyepa 10.70

3. Kwong Kar Jun 10.92

4. Sahrul Samali 11.07

Heat 2 (+0.4)

1. Muhammad Arsyad Md Saat 10.76

2. Muhammad Zulfiqar Ismail 10.84

800m

1. Wan Muhammad Fazri Wan Zahari 1:55.82

2. Avinasher Austin 1:56.44

3. Anas Ariffin 1:57.03

4. Muhammad Amirul Arif 1:57.17

5. Royson Vincent 1:57.93

6. Berchmans Arruldass 1:59.66

7. Muhammad Thaqif Lufti Azman 2:01.22

8. Jeff Lim Zhe Yu 2:02.13

High Jump

1. Mohamad Eizlan Dahalan 2.05

2. Lee Hup Wei 2.05

3. Norshafiee Mohd Shah 1.96

4. Mohamad Farhan Azman 1.96

Pole Vault

1. Iskandar Alwi 4.85

2. Muhammad Naufal Sharul Afzam 4.45

3. Aiman Suffian Bahrizal 3.55

Hammer Throw

1. Jackie Wong Siew Cheer 66.47

2. Sadat Marzuki Ajisan 59.94

WOMEN

100m Final (w?)

1. Azreen Nabil Alias 12.00

2. Komalam Shally Selveratnam 12.01

3. Siti Fatimah Mohamad 12.12

4. Nurul Faezah Asma Mazlan 12.19

800m

1. Savinder Kaur 2:14.23

2. Padhmaloshini Jayaseelan 2:25.73

Triple Jump

1. Kirthana Ramasamy 13.21

2. Nurul Ashikin Abbas 13.00

3. Nur Fatin Najiha Mohd Aaziz 11.55

Hammer Throw

1. Grace Wong Xiu Mei 62.48 / National Record

2. Nurul Hidayah Lukman 49.98

Second day of the meet will be held tomorrow (11 April).

Read more...

Grace Wong breaks her own national record with 62.48m hammer throw at 2021 GP Malaysia Open

Grace Wong Xiu Mei broke her own hammer national record by throwing the iron ball at a distance of 62.48m to win the 2021 Malaysian Grand Prix meeting at National Training Centre, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur today (10 April).

The 21-year-old former SEA Games gold medalist opened her competition with a >60m-throw (60.19m), down to 59.52m in her second throw, and followed by the national record effort. 

She then fouled in her fourth attempt; but the next two rounds was over-60m throw again (61.13m and 60.55m), showing a good consistency of her throws.

Such feats indicate that she still has more to show in the coming periods.

Grace Wong breaks hammer national record with 62.48m

The next local competition for Grace and other national athletes will be in June when the national athletics championships will be held.

Grace's throw at the Malaysian Grand Prix today is also 1 cm less than the Southeast Asian record with the best being 62.49m by Thailand's Mingkamon Koomphon.

Nurul Hidayah Lukman was in second place in 49.98m. Winnie Eng May Xin "ensured the minimum number participants" for a competition and was third with 17.95m.

Meanwhile, Jackie Wong Siew Cheer won the men's hammer throw event with a distance of 66.47m. Jackie's best throw and national records stand at 68.22m.  His training partner Sadat Marzuki Ajisan registered 59.94m in second place. 

Their teammates Farm Loong Deng (19.53m) and Kamal Farhan Abdul Rahman (16.03m) took part and registered their first (and best) throws in the hammer throw competition.

Read more...

Nauraj Singh clears 2.20m to break high jump indoor record

Three-time SEA Games gold medalist Nauraj Singh Randhawa smashed his national indoor record during an indoor track meeting at Vienna, Austria (30 Jan 2021).

He cleared a height of 2.20m in his third attempt  to finish in second place behind German Tobias Potye, a world cup bronze medalist who registered 2.26m.

Nauraj, who turned 29 three days earlier improved his two-year old record by 1 cm, which he set in Chemnitz, Germany in 2019. 

Like other athletes, he was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not competed since the SOPAC meeting in Sydney in February last year, where he jumped 2.20m, the same height he achieved yesterday.

He holds the current national outdoor record of 2.30m from 2016.  

Progression of Malaysian indoor record.

 • 2.15 ..... Lou Cwee Peng ... Toronto ... 1993
 • 2.15 ..... Lee Hup Wei ... Ostrava ... 2012
 • 2.15 ..... Lee Hup We ... Vienna ... 2012
 • 2.19 ..... Nauraj Singh Randhawa ... Chimnetz ... 2019
 • 2.21 ..... Nauraj Singh Randhawa ... Vienna ... 2021

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