PHNOM PENH – The sweltering nearly 40°C heat did not stop national women’s hammer thrower Grace Wong from achieving double success at the SEA Games here today.
Besides defending the gold medal on the first day of athletics at the Morodok Techno National Stadium, Grace’s fourth throw of 61.87m also broke her own Games record of 59.24m set in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
The success of the athlete from Sarikei was also celebrated by compatriot Nurul Hidayah Lukman, who clinched bronze with a throw of 49.61m while silver was won by Mingkamon Koomphon from Thailand with 57.86m.
“I like the hot weather more, like in Malaysia and it helped me to do well here in the SEA Games,” Grace told reporters afterwards.
Although admitting that she was nervous in today’s competition, the 23-year-old was thankful to be able to overcome the jitters and was satisfied with the outcome.
She said that undergoing training in Chengdu, China for almost three months really helped her to clinch her third personal SEA Games gold.
In the meantime, the student majoring in accounting at a private college in Petaling Jaya hopes to break her national record of 62.48m at the World University Games in Chengdu this July.
Meanwhile, Nurul Hidayah was happy to bring home a medal in her Games debut even though she was a little disappointed not to crack her personal best of 52.49m set at the Asean University Games last year.
The 22-year-old at the same time thanked the National Sports Council and Malaysian Athletics Federation for their support and assistance over the years, including for sending her to train in China for a month before coming to Cambodia. – Bernama, May 8, 2023
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