KUALA LUMPUR: For many years, for a long time, Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli has been trying to break the national women's 100m record.
For a long time, she has been trying to run the blue riband event in the shortest possible time.
She has been trying to do that at the Olympics, at the Commonwealth Games, at the Asian Games, Asian.
Championships and many other international events.
She never gave up. She kept training and training. And at the age of 31, the pint-size sprinter finally did it today at the Perlis Athletics Open in Kangar today.
Zaidatul ran an electrifying 11.49 second to erase the 31-year-old national record of 11.50s set by G. Shanti for good. Nur Afrina Batrisyia finished second (11.91) and Azreen Nabila Alias was third (12.00).
There's a numerological ring to it; Zaidatul defying age, breaking the 31-year-old record at the age of 31. Yes, age is just a number.
Kedahan Zaidatul jumped for joy upon learning that she has finally broken that longstanding national record.
"I feel fantastic and great to set a new national record. My dream of breaking the record finally came true," she said.
Zaidatul clocked a sensational 11.45s in a competition in South Africa in 2017, but the run was wind assisted, and thus not recognised.
"Today is the best day of my life as I proved to everyone that despite the age of 31, I can still break the national 100m record.
"I'm still the number one women's sprinter in the country," said Zaidatul.
For the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF), its support for Zaidatul in her training programme has paid off. Zaidatul won two bronze medals, in the 200m and 4x100m at the Phnom Penh Sea Games last year. In the 2017 KL Sea Games, she won silver in the 100m and 200m.
MAF technical director, John Ballard, said that breaking the national record has given Zaidatul a new lease of life.
"She was able to focus fully on training and competitions after completing her degree in Physical Education from UKM this year.
"I have known Zaidatul since 2014 and I was confident that one day she will break the national record," said Ballard,
Zaidatul has also qualified for next year's Sea Games in Bangkok as her efforts surpassed the 2023 Sea Games women's 100m silver medal time of 11.58.
At the Perlis Open, Nani Sahirah Maryata also broke her own national women's shot putt record (15.22m) with a throw of 15.39m.