KANGAR, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- National men's 800 metre runner Wan Muhammad Fazri Wan Zahari is using the 2025 Malaysian Open Athletics Championships, held at Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium here, as a platform to prepare for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand this December.
The 24-year-old runner, representing Kelantan, finished in second place with a time of 53.17 seconds (s) in the men's 800m event today, finishing behind Japanese runner Taishi Yamada who won first place (53.02s) while another Kelantan runner, Anas Ariffin, took third place (53.34s).
Wan Muhammad Fazri said he did not feel any pressure during the race as he was still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. He will prepare more carefully for the SEA Games, focusing on perfecting his acceleration in the final 200m.
"Since I have gone through several major championships in the middle of this year, my coach has told me to just enjoy the competition for this Malaysian Open Athletics Championship. My goal was just to run without feeling any pain, and Alhamdulillah, it worked.
"We will try our best to touch up what is needed for the SEA Games. There are several athletes who will be my challengers, especially from the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand (at the SEA Games), but I don't take that as a pressure because I just want to focus on myself," he told reporters after the 800m event.
The championships, which began yesterday and runs until tomorrow, involves the participation of 658 athletes from 19 domestic teams and 10 foreign countries, including Algeria, China, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.
--BERNAMA
