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Jia Xin needs to 'jump over' inconsistency

KUALA LUMPUR: High jumper Ngu Jia Xin needs to overcome her inconsistency if she is to land on the podium in the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May.

The Perakian has a personal best of 1.79m recorded at the Perak Open, but has not come close to her PB in competitions since then.

Her second best effort was clearing 1.76m in the Malaysian Grand Prix in Bukit Jalil in 2021 for gold.

Recently, the 22-year-old qualified for her second consecutive Sea Games after equalling the qualifying mark of 1.70m to win gold in the Malaysian Track and Field Championships in Bukit Jalil.

Jia Xin, who is coached by Alex Gasparyan of Uzbekistan in the last five years, said for her to win a Sea Games medal, she had to be consistent in her attempts.

"In my first Sea Games last year, I could only clear 1.65m to finish fifth. I was disappointed. I don't want to make the same mistake again in Cambodia.

"The pressure will be on me to deliver. I have set my mind to do a personal best and also return with a medal," said the lanky Jia Xin, who won the Malaysia Games gold in Bukit Jalil last September.

She also hopes to qualify for the Asian Games in Hangzhou from Sept 23 to Oct 8. The qualifying mark is 1.80m.

Jia Xin, who will compete in the Kuala Lumpur Open next month, is expected to train under Gasparyan in Uzbekistan in April for two weeks to prepare for the Sea Games.

The last Malaysian woman high jumper to win a medal in the Sea Games was Yap Sean Yee, who won gold with a height of 1.81m in 2019 in Manila.

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