KUALA LUMPUR: Which is more important for an athlete, the Malaysia Games (Sukma) from Aug 17-24 in Sarawak or the World Under-20 Junior Athletics Championships (WJAC) in Lima, Peru, from Aug 27-31?
The answer seems to be a no-brainer.
Five Malaysians have qualified for the prestigious WJAC.
They are Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam of Sabah (100m and 200m), Hanssen Yap of Sabah (100m), Sayyid Amin Roslan of Penang (200m), Ng Tak Sing of Penang (triple jump) and Fiross Faizal of Johor (110m hurdles).
This is the highest number of Malaysian athletes that have qualified for the WJAC but the question is whether they will put their states ahead of the country.
Will they forego the rare opportunity to compete in the WJAC for the cash reward of RM5,000 to RM10,000 offered by their states for winning medals of any colour in the Sukma?
The dates of the WJAC and Sukma are very close to each other and it's difficult for the athletes to peak twice in such a short period.
Veteran coach R. Jaganathan, 67, told Timesport that it is more beneficial for the five male athletes to compete in the WJAC than Sukma.
"They only get a once in a lifetime experience in the WJAC. They would never get this chance again if they skip it to compete in the Sukma.
"They should not think about the cash rewards. The Sukma-level is much lower and it will not benefit them.
"They are the future athletes of the country. I salute them for qualifying on merit at the World Junior meet.
"They need to get the highest-level of exposure and experience. When they compete against the best in the world, they will definitely push themselves hard."
Jaganathan said Pengiran is a star in the making, having won the 200m bronze twice in the Asian Under-20 Championships in South Korea last year and in Dubai last month.
"Competing in the World Junior meet against the best will definitely push Pengiran to produce excellent times.
"We have three good sprinters in Pengiran, Hanssen and Sayyid.
"They should be exposed to high-level competition like the WJAC to help them become more mature sprinters like Azeem Fahmi.
"We hope to produce more top class athletes like Azeem who competed in the 2022 World Junior meet in Colombia and ran 10.09 to break the national 100m record at the age of 18.
"Azeem has made steady progress since he featured in the WJAC and now he is on the verge of going to the Paris Olympics. Azeem achieved all this because of competing in the World Junior meet," said Jaganathan, who coached Rabuan Pit to the 100m gold at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games.
Jaganathan, who helped national athletes win 14 Sea Games gold (middle and long distance) from 1980 to 2001, said the five athletes are only 18 years old and they will still be eligible for the 2026 Sukma, but they will not get another chance to feature in the WJAC.
"The coaches who guided the five athletes to qualify for the WJAC should also be sent to Peru as they will get to learn new methods from top level coaches there.
"I was in London in 2015 for the Diamond League, and I was able to watch how Usain Bolt warm up for 45 minutes for his 100m race. I was able to get points and tips from Jamaican coaches.
"You will never get the experience to learn new coaching methods if you don't get the chance to go to top-level meets like the WJAC."
Jaganathan was a national coach from 1980 to 2001, and he became a national para coach from 2001 to 2020, guiding Ridzuan Puzi to the 100m gold (T36) in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
He is now a freelance coach in charge of three para athletes and five able-bodied athletes in Bangi.