YAP WEI SHAN may be a newcomer to the athletics arena in Negri Sembilan but he is coming up fast.
The 10-year-old has literally improved by leaps and bounds in both the long jump and high jump since coming under former MSSNS chief coach Teh Eng Eiau.
Wei Shan’s rise has been meteoric, from school to state level in the past two years.
He was declared as the Best Overall MSSNS Male Athlete at the Negri Sembilan Schools Sports Council competition in Paroi in February.
At the meet, Wei Shan posted 4.26m in the long jump and 1.28m in the high jump. In the process, he broke the boys’ Under-10 long jump record of 4.15m set by Abdul Aniq Syaras Abdul Rasid in 2014. He also erased the high jump record set by Loke Chun Fong in 2011.
The pint-sized Wei Shan, who trains five times a week at SJK(C) Chi Wen, Bahau, said: “My most memorable moment was winning the Best Overall MSSNS Male Athlete award.
“The key to my success is training hard under an experienced coach. My ambition is to represent my country one day.”
Coach Eng Eiau said: “He is very talented and well disciplined.
“His mother plays an important role in his success in athletics. She said although her son is not good in studies, she is proud of his achievements in athletics.”