PNHOM PENH: National sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan grabbed attention six years ago when he won the men's 100m title at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games.
But his form dipped after that win due to injuries.However, the opportunity to compete at the Sea Games here seemed to give a new lease of life to Khairul, who is making efforts for a comeback.
He appreciates greatly the trust given by the national sprint coach, Poad Kassim.
Khairul was part of the quartet, who won bronze in the 4x100m at the Morodok Techo Stadium here on Wednesday.
The team, also comprising Jonathan Nyepa, Eizlan Dahalan and Arsyad Saat clocked 39.36s. Indonesia clocked 39.11s for the gold, while Thailand (39.13s) took the silver.
It was Khairul's first relay competition since the 2019 Manila edition.Khairul Hafiz described the achievement of clinching bronze as one of the most meaningful achievements.
"It's been a long time since I ran for the Malaysian team, and today, I helped get a medal. I still feel proud, although it is a bronze. I feel like crying."I have to admit, I really felt down before, but my family, friends and coach Poad never stopped encouraging me," he told reporters on Wednesday.
The achievement has inspired him to continue training to remain relevant in the national athletics camp.Meanwhile, sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli has hinted that this outing might be her last appearance at the Games.
Refusing to comment on the matter, Zaidatul said she is proud to be part of the women's 4x100m quartet team that smashed a six-year-old national record on Wednesday.The other members were Azreen Nabila Alias, Nur Afrina Batrisya Rizal and Nur Aishah Rofina Aling.
The Malaysian quartet clocked 44.58s to erase the previous mark of 45.18s. Zaidatul was part of the 2017 record-setting team."I am happy to be able to help other runners. Perhaps, my presence in the quartet made them more enthusiastic and bolder," she said.
On Tuesday, Zaidatul ended her six-year women's 200m medal drought by winning a bronze. She recorded 23.60s to finish behind Singapore's Veronica Shanti Pereira (22.69) and Vietnam's Thi Nhi Yen Tran (23.54s). - Bernama