KUALA LUMPUR – The National Sports Council (NSC) has dismissed claims by Foundation of Women Community in Sports (Fowcus) president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin that young national athlete Sheeren Samson Vallabouy’s achievements have not been duly recognised by the authorities.
NSC said in a statement today that the council and Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) had issued statements to acknowledge Sheeren’s success.
“The council always follows Sheeren’s progress in the United States and Malaysian Athletics Federation deputy president Datuk Mumtaz Jaafar herself contacted the athlete’s mother on March 10 to list her for the Vietnam SEA Games.
“Sheeren’s mother gave an assurance that her daughter can represent the country at the Asian Games in September because it does not clash with her study schedule,” the statement said.
On Saturday, Sheeren won gold in the women’s indoor 400 metres at the US National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division 2 championship at Pittsburgh State University in Kansas in a time of 53.79 sec, breaking the 12-year-old record of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Sheeren’s time not only bettered her personal best of 54.94s but also broke the 16-year-old national indoor record of 54.58s held by Noraseela Mohd Khalid.
NSC said Sheeren’s latest feat proved that she had improved under the tutelage of her university and that NSC would give her the necessary support to ensure she could produce consistently good results.
It said Sheeren was not listed for the SEA Games in May because the competition schedule would clash with her examinations at the Winona State University in Minnesota.
Sheeren, who was coached by her mother Josephine Mary, was targeted for honours in the individual 400m event at the 2017 SEA Games but only won a medal in the 4x400m relay. – Bernama, March 18, 2022
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