Queenie Ting competes in the women’s discus during the 17th Sukma in Kangar sports complex in Perlis, in this May 29, 2014 file photo. Queenie won the event. — Bernama photo
Quek Lee Yong
Norris Foo
KUCHING: Sarawak is set to defend its title at the 2016 MSSM national inter-state schools track and field championships which starts in Terengganu next Wednesday.
Ninety athletes have been selected but the state contingent will miss ‘veterans’ such as Norris Foo, Queenie Ting and Quek Lee Yong.
Last year, Sarawak won the national title for the 6th consecutive year with a tally of 19 gold medals. Six of last year’s individual gold medallists have left after completing Form Five.
Among them, Norris was with the state team for six years, Queenie (5 years) and Lee Yong (4 years).
Through those years, they have won multiple gold medals.
The trio also have the distinction of setting Sarawak state records in their events even while competing as school athletes.
Without Norris, this year’s contingent will not have a strong gold medal prospect in the sprints. Norris represented the state in the MSSM meet every year since she was in Primary 6.
She scored a double in 2013 and 2014 winning both the U-15 100m and 100m hurdles. Last year, she moved up to the U-18 age-group but still won the 100m in 12.41sec.
In April 2014, she clocked 25.49sec to break Hii Siew Ngiik’s state 200m record of 25.56sec established in 1994.
Sarawak athletes have won the MSSM girl’s U18 discus every year since 2005.
Queenie won the event in the last three years – 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Before that, she also won the U-15 title in 2011 and 2012.
In April 2013, she threw 40.99m to better Lee Chiew Ha’s state record set at the 1989 SEA Games by 4cm. She improved her personal best to 44.02m the following year.
That distance ranks her as No. 2 in Malaysia’s all-time list for the event just behind Yap Jeng Tzan’s national record of 47.79m.
Hurdlers have contributed significantly to Sarawak’s gold medal tally in the past few years.
The challenge will be to sustain this tradition in the absence of Lee Yong.
The hurdler has impressed in the last three years by his rate of improvement and versatility.
In 2013, he won the U-15 110 and 200m hurdles. He moved up to U-18 in 2014 and won the 400m flat and 400m hurdles.
In May last year, he won the 400m hurdles and then comfortably won the 110 race only to be controversially disqualified.
But he was awarded the 2015 Best Boy Athlete of the MSSM Championships for his record-breaking 52.93sec in the 400m hurdles.
At the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, he finished fourth in a world-class field.
His time of 52.45sec surpassed Jong Nyan Chong’s state record of 52.84sec set at the 1981 SEA Games.
By November 2015, Lee Yong improved his personal best to 52.18sec to win the ASEAN Schools title. That time catapulted him into No. 6 spot in the nation’s all-time best performances for the event.
Norris, Queenie and Lee Yong are currently training for the 18th Sukma in July.
The state contingent for the MSSM Championships is in Bintangor for centralised training before leaving for Terengganu on Sunday