KUALA LUMPUR − National sprint coach M. Balamurugan is aghast with the decision by the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) not to list Fatin Ilyana Mat Nayan for the Hanoi SEA Games this May.
He said based on her current performance, the 19-year-old qualified to be in the women’s 4x100m quartet when she emerged among the four runners who recorded the best personal result with a run of under 12s at the Kuala Lumpur All-Comers Championship last weekend.
According to Balamurugan, based on the best record of the season, Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli, 29, chalked the best run with a record of 11.62s followed by two 22-year-old athletes Nor Sarah Adi (11.89s) and Azreen Nabila Alias (11.90s) − as well as Fatin Ilyana (11.97s).
“Fatin has proven her ability that she can run under 12s and is capable of overcoming senior athletes so it is unfair not to list her. We are not against sending senior athletes but based on current achievements, Fatin is better.
“So why not give young athletes the opportunity for the good of the future? We also need to prepare athletes for the next SEA Games in Cambodia next year. So, I hope MAF will reconsider an entry for Fatin,” he said when met at the National Sports Council (NSC) today.
Balamurugan also stressed that the NSC and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) had previously wanted to provide opportunities for back-up and young athletes to get exposure at the Hanoi SEA Games.
Currently, MAF have listed Zaidatul, Nor, Azreen, 33-year-old athlete S. Komalam Shally (12.012s), 36-year-old Siti Fatimah Mohamad (12.019s) and Nur Aishah Rofina Aling (12.06s) for the Games.
“We are here as coaches, who train athletes − we can see that the process and calibre of athletes is rising. That is why at the selection meeting (March 9) before sending the names to OCM, I proposed to register seven sprinters,” he said. – Bernama, March 29, 2022
