SHAH ALAM, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- The race to fill two more spots in the National 4x100m quartet that will head to the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China has shifted to top gear with the Indonesian Open Athletics Championships next week serving as the final test.
National sprints coach Mohd Poad Md Kassim said former SEA Games sprint gold medal winner Khairul Hafiz Jantan and current National record holder Muhammad Azeem Fahmi have already secured their places in the team and will start as the first and last runners, respectively.
“The race is on for the second and third runners and the Indonesian Open will serve as the final competition to finalise the remaining runners before leaving to Hangzhou. Though we have identified two other runners to make up the 4x100m quartet, we need to have reserves in the team.
“We need to have runners in the reserve list because the main runners in the list will also be taking part in individual sprint events and we have to be ready for any eventualities because in a competition, anything can happen,” he said when contacted today.
Apart from Khairul Hafiz and Muhammad Azeem, others in the running to make the National 4x100m quartet are Muhammad Arsyad Md Saat, Jonathan Nyepa, Russel Alexander Nasir Taib and Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi.
Meanwhile, Khairul Hafiz who is also known as 'The Speedy Jantan' said he was ready to take up the role as the first runner as opposed to being the anchor in the past and admitted that the presence Muhammad Azeem as the last runner (anchor) would serve as a tonic for the other runners to register a better time in the Games.
“When the coach switched the positions during the Asian Track and Field Championships (ATF) in Bangkok, there was a significant improvement in terms of the time set.
“During the SEA Games and Commonwealth Games, I was the last runner, but with the switch, we clocked a faster time,” he said when met at the Proton Centre here today.
The men’s National 4x100m quartet comprising Muhammad Azeem, Khairul Hafiz, Jonathan Nyepa and Mohammad Thaqif Hisham clocked 39.17 seconds at the 2023 ATF in July to finish in six spot.
-- BERNAMA
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