KUALA LUMPUR: Fakrul Afizul Nasir has set his sights on greater achievements after breaking his own national 400m hurdles record at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kuching today.
The 20-year-old became the first athlete in athletics to set a new national record at the Sarawak Sukma, clocking 51.11 seconds to win the men's 400m hurdles gold medal at the Sarawak Stadium.
He surpassed his previous mark of 51.26, set at the Under-20 Asian Championships in South Korea last year.
"I am very happy with this success. My mission was to win gold and break the national record again at this Sukma. I am extremely grateful for this achievement," Fakrul said.
"It was not easy to win gold and break the record because the other athletes gave a strong fight, especially at the start of the race. However, once I found my rhythm, I just kept going until the finish line."
The silver medal went to Johor's Aiman Najmi Anuar, who clocked 53.20, while the bronze was claimed by Federal Territories' Emmanuel Muphy Josbert, who finished in 53.50.
Fakrul's feat of breaking the national record twice is remarkable, considering that he only took up the event in July 2022.
"I started competing in this event in July 2022, and now I have managed to break the national record. I draw inspiration from the world record holder in this event, Karsten Warholm from Norway, who has an impressive time of 45.54.
"I have only been training with my coach, Amirul Naim Abdul Ghani, for two years, but I have already broken the national record twice, and I hope to do it again.
"My goal is to achieve this next year, and I am aiming to dip below 51 seconds ," he said, adding that he is also working towards qualifying for the 2025 Sea Games in Bangkok.