Jong and Goh with (from left) Liew, as well as SSC sports development officers Mikar Changgan (track) and Mohamad Ikmal Afandi (field).
KUCHING (July 4): The final day of the 16th Sarawak Junior Athletics Championships yesterday saw seven more new meet records created, bringing the total new records to 13 for the weekend meet.
Malaysia’s ‘Usain Bolt’ Muhammad Azeem Fahmi stamped his status as the nation’s top sprinter when he clocked 20.89s to win the Boys Junior 200m gold and erase the old time of 22.65s set by Asly Chua An Wen in 2015.
The MSN Perak sprinter is one of three athletes to qualify for the World Youth U20 Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia – the other two being Sarawakians shot-putter Jonah Chang Rigan and hurdler Elvin Yap Zhi Xian.
SSN Perak took the gold medal in the Boys Junior 4x100m relay in a record time of 43.24s to erase the old time of 43.85s set by Axis Petra Jaya Track and Field Club in 2019.
They set another new record through Roshini Karnaval, who won the 800m with a new time of 2:40.35s, beating the old time of 2:43.73s set by Madelinda Balau in 2015.
Also setting new records were Kuching PS-SSC Athletics representatives Desmond Jong and Nicole Goh Szi Wei.
Desmond threw the javelin to a record distance of 51.41m in the Boys Junior to erase the old mark of 50.94s created by Pethius Jadam in 2018, while Nicole cleared 1.55m in the Junior High Jump to beat the old mark of 1.53m set by Mazween Ubong Lah four years ago.
The other record was created by Lugoss Athletics, who won the Girls Junior 4x100m relay with a time of 53.24s
On Saturday, Emma Emma Hill Yu Wei Ling, who represented the Sarawak team, registered 12.62s to win the Girls Junior 100m, beating the old record of 13.07s set by Gladys Then Yi Chian in 2015.
Emma’s second record was timed at 16.21s to win the Junior 100m hurdles, bettering the old record of 16.92s set by Lucy Ting Hui Voon in 2019.
Elvin of SMK Tabuan Jaya A won the Boys Junior 110m hurdles with a record time of 14.13s. The old record of 14.70s was recorded by Reymar Manuel Tabari of Miri DAA in 2017.
In the Boys Junior 100m, Adam Hakim Shamsuddin of SSN Perak smashed the old record of 11.12s set by Mohammad Ihsan Wan Hasmi of Axis Petra Jaya Track and Field Club in 2019 by registering a new time of 10.94s.
The other new records were created in the 400m by Danda Hamairah Syaryman Sufry of Axis Petra Jaya Track and Field Club in the Girls Junior with a time of 62.08s (old record: 62.86s – Chloe Thong Yueh, 2019) and Ahmad Amir Mohd Kamaruddin of MSN Perak in the Boys Junior with a time of 50.06s (51.40s – Muhd Nur Aidel Messelan, 2017).
Kuching PS-SSC Athletics athletes with (from left) Sukma athletics team manager Ngatiman Sarepin, SSC sports development officer Mohamad Ikmal Afandi (field) and Liew, as well as (from right) Sukma athletics head coach Lim Teck Leong, SSC sports development officer Mikar Changgan (track), and Lodge National Primary School teacher Hillel Ikkesh.
Kuching PS-SSC Athletics coach Willie Liew Yu Yung expressed satisfaction with the performance of his team, who captured two gold, four silver, and three bronze medals.
The athletes trained at Sarawak Stadium and Lodge Group of Schools.
“Two gold won in record times by Desmond and Nicole was a great achievement. They are our future Sukma champions.
“It has been a long time since we won in the Junior Javelin and Desmond, who is only 19, and talented Nicole, also 19, can go far given consistent training and exposure,” Liew told the Borneo Post.
He was also happy that team’s medal target was achieved and noted that the athletes were able to balance their time between studies and training.
The two-day meet, organised by the Sarawak Amateur Athletics Association, was participated by 538 athletes including 255 girls from all over Sarawak and teams from Peninsular Malaysia.
Teams comprise mainly from schools, clubs and associations included Kairos Athletics, Kuching PC-SSC Athletics, Axis Petra Jaya Track and Field Club, SSN Perak, MDAAA, MSN Perak, and Perlis.