SEA Games: OCM put 12 non-qualifiers in Category A

SEA Games: OCM put 12 non-qualifiers in Category A

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Hurdler Moh Siew Wei is among 12 non-qualifiers in track and field who will get to compete in the SEA Games in Korat as Category A athletes.

The other female athletes who failed to meet second-place marks of the last Games in Manila are sprinter Siti Fatimah Mohamed (100m, 4x100m), Vally Michael (800m, 4x400m) and N. Shivaneetha (800m, 4x400m).

The men are Shahadan Jamaludin (400m hurdles), Danial Azuan Amar Nand (200m), Mohd Jironi Ridzuan (800m, 1,500m), Ahmad Firdaus (triple jump), Josbert Tinus (long jump), Adi Aliffudin Hussin (shot putt), Shaharudin Hashim and Chan Yew Woo (marathon).

Joyful: Hurdler Shahadan Jamaludin is among the athletes who get to compete under Category A despite failing to qualify for the Games.

Siew Wei and Shahadan were the gold medallists at the 2005 Manila Games.

The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) will bear the costs of Category A athletes to compete in the Games.

The Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) programme co-ordinator for the SEA Games, C. Ramanathan, said that they were happy with the OCM consent to include borderline cases as Category A athletes in the contingent.

“This is the first time that so many athletes who failed to beat the qualifying mark get to go under Category A. I hope these athletes will go all out to win medals to show their appreciation to the OCM,'' he said.

Only 11 men and six women qualified on merit for the Games.

The men are Lee Hup Wei and Ahmad Najwan Aqra (high jump); Rayzam Shah Wan Sufian (110m hurdles); Mohd Shahrulhaizy Abdul Rahman, Lo Choong Sieng and B. Thirukumaran (20km walk); M. Vadivellan (800m, 1,500m) and the 4x100m team.

Only two walkers will get to go to Korat and selection will be based on their results in the Thailand Open next week.

Manila SEA Games 110m hurdles gold medallist Mohd Robani Hassan has also beaten the qualifying mark but his place in the Games is not confirmed yet.

Ramanathan said that Robani did not compete in the MAAU Closed in Perlis early this month because of a knee injury and his place in the Games would depend on how Manila Games silver medallist Mohd Faiz Mohamed fared in Thailand.

The women who met the qualifying marks are hurdler Noraseela Khalid, triple jumper Ngew Sin Mei, walker Yuan Yufang, pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu and hammer throwers Siti Shahida Abdullah and Tan Song Hwa.

The OCM included five men and five women athletes under Category B.

The men are Mohd Syahrul Amri Mohd Suhaimi (long jump), Mohd Faizal Mustafa (decathlon), S. Narendran (200m, 4x400m), S. Vikkram (3,000m steeplechase) and Mohd Hafizudin Sahadan (pole vault). The women are Azizah Ibrahim (100m hurdles), Yap Jen Tzan (discus), Norliyana Kamaruddin (high jump), Siti Zubaidah Adabi (triple jump, long jump) and Yap Kwee Kee (20km walk).

A Category B athlete is funded by his association, who will then get a reimbursement from the OCM if he returns with at least the silver medal.

The Star