KUALA LUMPUR – National sprint ace Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi hopes to pack in at least four international competitions before he flies the national flag at the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, in May.
Muhammad Haiqal believes this is sufficient for him to find his rhythm in a bid to retain the men’s 100 metres gold medal he won at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, the Philippines.
“I think three or four competitions are enough in the run-up to Vietnam. It all depends on the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF). If they feel there are suitable competitions, I am ready to race,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
On the local grid, the 22-year-old athlete said he will make an appearance at the Kuala Lumpur Open next month, followed by a competition in Perak in February.
He is leaving it to his coach Mohd Poad Md Kassim to decide on the number of local competitions to fine-tune him for the Hanoi Games.
Asked about the time he wants to set in Vietnam, Muhammad Haiqal admitted he has not set any specific target but only wanted a good burst off the blocks to win the blue-ribbon event for the second time in a row.
The Negeri Sembilan-born sprinter is determined to bounce back stronger in 2022 after being hit by several sad episodes this year, including missing two competitions, namely the Malaysian Grand Prix (GP) Championship following an ankle injury last April and the Qosanov Memorial Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan last June due to a positive test of Covid-19.
Regarding his performance in 2021, Muhammad Haiqal remained satisfied despite finishing fifth in his only outing this year at the 2021 National Athletics Championship recently.
He said an attack of nerves denied him a place on the podium, as the last time he competed in a closed meet here was at the end of 2020.
Muhammad Haiqal also said he is comfortable training at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat in Perak in the company of 2017 SEA Games champion Khairul Hafiz Jantan. – Bernama, January 1, 2022
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