KUALA LUMPUR – At just 17, Kok Hui Ying made her mark at the 2022 Malaysia Games (Sukma) today after she won the women’s 5,000m walk gold medal with a time of 28m 45.81s in her debut performance.
However, the official time does not reflect the Kuala Lumpur athlete’s performance, as all nine participants in the event had walked an extra lap during the race.
In a 5,000m event, athletes would usually loop the running track 12 and a half times, but an extra lap today at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium meant the athletes covered a total distance of 5,400m.
Speaking to The Vibes, Selangor chief coach Narinder Singh said the confusion that occurred during the race will affect the athlete’s future in terms of timing.
“The official time set by all nine of those athletes is not accurate, because it now reflects the additional distance they walked.
“It is a pity that their times cannot be used as qualification to enter future tournaments, as it would definitely be off the pace of other athletes that actually covered 5,000m,” he said.
According to Narinder and race winner Hui Ying, the lap counter that sits next to the finish line malfunctioned, which led to it displaying an extra lap that forced the athletes to loop the track another time.
For comparison, during Perak Sukma Games gold medallist at the 5,000m walk event, Koong Jia Lin clocked 27m 35.26s in 2018.
Regardless, the extra lap did not hinder Hui Ying from crossing the finish line first ahead of Kelantan’s Nurul Alyahaziqah Kamarazaman in second, and fellow KL athlete Nurul Ashikin Hussin in third.
Hui Ying said if she had indeed done the 12 and a half laps as they had intended, she would have clocked a new personal best.
“Looking at my watch when I crossed the line, my time would have been about 26m 38s, faster than my previous best of 26m 55s.
“It would have been my new personal best time, if only I did not walk the extra lap,” she told reporters.
Meanwhile, Sukma chief technical delegate V. Govindasamy said race officials have not received any complaints from any parties.
“There is no controversy about the matter as there has been no protest from the coaches of the athletes,” he said.
Earlier today, 20-year-old Muhammad Ikbolasen Md Kamal Hussain clocked a time of 31m 11.62s at the men’s 10,000m, beating the previous Sukma Games record previously set by A. Munusamy in the 1996 edition.
But the Pahang runner’s time was not acknowledged as the National Sports Council (NSC) had decided not to recognise any new entry as a record since the age limit for this year’s games has been extended to 23 years.
The Sukma athletics, scheduled from September 15 to 18, has a total of 44 gold medals up for grabs. – The Vibes, September 15, 2022
