Jonathan Nyepa will be giving Khairul a good run for his money in the men’s 100m.
KUCHING: Eight athletes from Sarawak are set for the challenge in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games from Aug 19-30.
Heading the list is Sarawak sprint king Jonathan Nyepa who will be competing in the men’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
He will be challenged by teammate Nixson Kennedy who will be down in the 100m and 4x100m relay.
The other Sarawakians in the national team are Mohd Rizzua (110m hurdles), Quek Lee Yong (400m hurdles), Jackie Wong (hammer throw), Mohd Arif Zulhilmi (4x400m relay), Abdul Rahman Lee (discus), Grace Wong (hammer throw) and Norris Foo (4x100m relay reserve).
To local athletics fans, the focus will be on the duel between Jonathan and national sprint king Khairul Hafiz Jantan in the 100m race.
On paper, Khairul is favoured to win based on his performance where he had broken the 100m record with the time of 10.18s and 200m in 20.90s.
However, Jonathan’s record of 10.28s set in the Korea Open recently should not be taken of lightly by his opponents.
If the Sungai Asap, Belaga-born sprinter can maintain his momentum, he could be the surprise package of the games.
Apart from the sprint events, Sarawak can also reap medals in the hammer throw through Jackie and Grace.
Jackie had reset his national record with a throw of 64.50m while 17-year old Bukit Jail student Grace has recorded a throw of 60.99m to surpass the throw of last SEA Games gold medalist Mingkamon Koophon from Thailand.
Meanwhile, Rahman will be looking to do his best in his SEA Games debut and contribute something to the national team.