KUALA LUMPUR: Former Sea Games gold medallist Khairul Hafiz Jantan is looking to make a comeback to the regional games this year.
Hafiz, 25, missed the Hanoi Sea Games last year as he failed to qualify, but is determined to make the cut for the Phnom Penh Games (May 5-17) this year.
To make the squad for the individual events, he will have to finish in the top-two and also beat the qualifying standards of 10.56 seconds for the 100m and 20.77 seconds for the 200m races at the Malaysian Track and Field Championships in Bukit Jalil this weekend (Feb 11-12).
To make the cut for the relay events, Hafiz will have to finish in the top-four in each discipline. The meet is the last qualifying event for the Phnom Penh Sea Games.
Hafiz, who won the 100m gold at the Kuala Lumpur 2017 games, said he knew he will have to be at his best this weekend.
"There are other good sprinters who have clocked faster times than me last year, but I will not give up and will perform my best in the (qualifying) competition this weekend," Hafiz said today.
"I missed out on qualifying for last year's (Hanoi) Sea Games, but this time I am injury-free and much fitter.
"If I can't make the top-two, then I will still need to try and finish in the top-four to make the cut for the 4x100m or the 4x400m relays.
"My coach Poad Kassim wants me to defy the odds and give it my all. This is the last chance to earn a place in the Sea Games squad."
The 25-year-old will face a strong challenge from other sprinters, such as 2019 Sea Games gold medallist Haiqal Hanafi, Malaysia Games silver medallist Arsyad Saat, Jonathan Nyepa and Zulfiqar Ismail.
Hafiz had clocked the season's best at 10.26 seconds in the 100m during the heats at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey, last August. However, he failed to make the final after clocking 10.46 seconds to place fifth in his semi-final.