Zaidatul gets a big boost ahead of Cambodia SEA Games

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- National women's sprinter, Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli got the best tonic ahead of the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia in May when she won the gold medal in the 100 metres at the Kuala Lumpur Allcomers Championship at the National Sports Council (MSN) Mini Stadium, Bukit Jalil today.

The 30-year-old athlete representing the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) clocked a time of 11.74 seconds (s), leaving Sabah's Nur Aishah Rofina Aling (12.14s) and S. Komalam (12.22s) from Perak, to be satisfied with the silver and bronze respectively.

Met by reporters, the Kedah-born sprinter said the championship was one of the warm-up events before bringing the national challenge to the biennial Games (SEA Games)  in addition to preparing for the Philippine Open, which starts on Tuesday.

"I am using this meet as a stage to a get the 'feel' before running in the Philippine Open.

"The decision to join the Kuala Lumpur Allcomers was made at the last minute at the coach's request for me to record the best time as a preparation before going to the Philippines," she said.

Zaidatul Husniah said she is scheduled to participate in the Philippine Open from March 21 to 26 before competing in the SEA Games in Cambodia, but the decision as to which events she will take part in is still being discussed with the coach.

The last time Malaysia won a SEA Games medal in the women's 100m sprint was at the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur. Zaidatul Husniah won the silver medal then after clocking 11.74s.

Meanwhile, the men's 100m sprint saw Selangor athletes make a clean sweep of the medals with Adam Hakim winning the gold after recording the fastest time of 10.68s.

Nabil Alwani (10.79s) won the silver while bronze went to Thaqif Hisham (10.81s).

-- BERNAMA