KUALA LUMPUR – National pole vaulter Nor Sarah Adi left in despair today as she failed to record any points in the 20th Malaysian Games (Sukma) women’s pole vault final held at Bukit Jalil National Stadium here today.
The 22-year-old from Pahang said she realised the pole that she wanted to use was not in her bag after she lend it to another athlete yesterday.
The blunder caused her to lose focus and fail to make her jump at a height of 2.90m.
“Yesterday, I lent it (the pole) to another athlete to use for training and I only realised today that they placed the wrong pole instead, which was not mine.
“The pole had no grip tape, unlike the ones I had done on mine,” Sarah said after the event, which was won by Sarawak’s Evelyne Tan.
Sarah added that she tried to wrap new grip tape, but it was taking too much of her time and it messed up her confidence.
She was also a gold medallist in the same event at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi with a record of 4m.
Two days ago, the sprint queen won a gold medal in the women’s 100m with a record of 11.91s.
Sarah accepted the situation as a lesson and a reminder to be more mindful in the future.
“It was probably not my luck today.
“I know I am supposed to make sure everything is prepared before the game, but I admit I overlooked it,” she said. – The Vibes, September 18, 2022
