Sarawak’s latest sprinting sensations

KUCHING: If athletics is the main attraction in any multi-sports games (Sukma, SEA, Asian or Olympic Games), then the 100m sprint is the blue ribbon event.

The winner can lay claim to be the fastest man or woman in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Asia or the world.

No Sarawak sprinter has hogged the limelight since Watson Nyambek established the national record with a 10.30sec run in 1998.

However, a group of athletes at the state schools championship held in Sibu last week have proven that there is actually abundant talent out there.

A sub-11sec for men and sub-13sec (women) in the 100m in any local track meet is always special.

While electronic timing is now used for major national-level competitions, track events at the state-level meet in Sibu last week were hand-timed.

Nevertheless, check out these breath-taking performances from the finest sprinters in our schools.

The Boys U18 100m race caused a sensation when the first four runners all dipped below 11sec.

Kuching’s Asly Chua led the pack with 10.6sec followed by Andrian Ijau Collin (Bintulu) and Sarikei’s Nix Watson and Deli Ikau – all three timed at 10.8sec! 17-year-old Asly from Tunku Putra International School has in fact gone below 11sec three times since March this year.

Meanwhile, boys in the youngest age-group were also very promising.

In the U12 race, Miri’s Nurzuki Eddy, who was timed at 12.0sec during the heats, won the final in 12.3 ahead of teammate Nicklane Akau (12.4) with Kapit’s Nicolas Derman third (12.4) and Sri Aman’s Edwin Eric fourth (12.5). How good is 12.5sec for a 12-year-old boy? At last year’s national-level championship, 12.5 was good enough for the bronze medal.

Royhannes Jefferey was last year’s state-level U12 100 (12.48sec) and 200m (25.89) champion.

He deserves our prize for being the most improved sprinter in Sibu last week.

He clocked 11.4 (heats) and 11.8 (final) to finish second in the U14 race.

That’s an improvement of a whopping 1 full second in a year. And the boy from SMK Senadin, Miri is only 13.

If the boys impressed in Sibu last week, talent among the girls was equal if not even deeper.

There was already a stand-out star among them in Sibu-born Norris Foo.

In 2013, Norris took the national schools U15 100m title with a time of 12.45sec. Last year, she was second in the nation in the U18 race.

The 17-year old from Tabuan Jaya Sports School has a personal best electronic time of 12.12.

Last week, she was hand-timed at 12.0sec when she won the U18 100m.

Two other girls from Kuching also went below 13sec – Gladys Then (12.6) was second and Ayu Nazira (12.8) third.

The U15 race produced another two girls from Kuching who went sub-13sec.

Mandy Goh from SMK Sg Maong won in an impressive 12.6sec.

Bong Lee Lin finished second in 12.8.

So three U18 girls and two U15 girls broke through the 13sec barrier.

It would be quite incredible if even one girl in the U14 race could achieve that.

As it turned out, there were three! Dana River Yu, a student in Kuching’s Lodge School, led the way with a 12.7sec win.

Nurhaziqah Izzati, who is based in Sabah’s Sports School, and Bintulu’s Sherilyn Chan finished second and third in 12.8 and 12.9sec respectively.