KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) are expected to give aspiring athletes an opportunity to use the Perlis Open on Oct 3, as a platform to qualify for the Laos SEA Games.

MAAU Deputy President Karim Ibrahim said the Perlis Open was open to athletes at all levels, including elite national athletes who have yet to earn their tickets to Laos.

“Those who excel in the Perlis Open will be given an opportunity to compete in the MAAU Open in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 6. If they can prove themselves at the MAAU Open, they can be on their way to Laos in December,” he told Bernama, here.

Karim added that the MAAU plan to organise more national level athletics competitions so that athletes would gain more exposure and not be deprived of high level competitions.

“If athletes continue to compete in high level competitions at home, they will be better prepared when sent for overseas competitions. Through high level competitions organised here, it will also give an opportunity for local athletes to compete against prominent athletes from abroad,” he said.

In future, all competitions organised by MAAU would be required to use electronic timing as a means of enhancing the level and status of competitions organised here, he said.

– BERNAMA

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Middle distance runner M. Vadivellan is one optimistic athlete.

Having competed in just one international meet this year – the Taiwan Open in July – he is harbouring hopes of rewriting his 1,500m national record at the Asian Track and Field (ATF) championships in Guangzhou, China, from Nov 16-19.

In the Taiwan Open, the Kuala Kangsar-born runner clocked 3:52.18 en route to winning the gold medal.

His time was way off his national mark of 3:45.70, which he set en route to winning the silver medal at the Korat SEA Games in 2007.

The 23-year-old Vadivellan expressed disappointment with the national body, the Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU), for not sending him to more international meets this year.

“I only competed in the Taiwan Open. Although I won the gold medal, my time was six seconds slower than my personal best,” said Vadivellan, who is trained by former international S. Muthiah.

“I have been training since the beginning of this year and I need to compete in as many meets as possible to clock good times. It is not enough to just train only.

“However, I will defy the odds and rewrite my national mark at the ATF in November.

“With stiffer competition at the ATF, I believe I can do it,” added Vadivellan, who will be competing in the ATF for the third consecutive time.

He made his debut in the meet in Incheon, South Korea, in 2005 and failed to qualify for the 1,500m final.

Two years later, he reached the final in Amman, Jordan, but came out last.

Vadivellan, who is pursuing a Sports Science Degree course at the Open University, has already qualified on merit for the 800m event in December’s Laos SEA Games.

He clocked 1:51:37 at the Mini Olympics in July to surpass the qualifying mark of 1:52.71, which was the silver medal effort of the 2007 Games.

Vadivellan, who said that the 800m was not his pet event, has set himself a target of becoming the best 1,500m runner in the region this year.

“I only managed to win the silver medal in the 1,500m in Korat two years ago despite breaking the national record.

“This time I will face a tougher task as I will have 2007 gold medallist Nguyen Diuh Cuong of Vietnam for company again.

“In Korat, he beat me in the last 20m of the race to win the gold … but this time I hope to get the better of him,” said Vadivellan.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/9/19/sports/4748645&sec=sports

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) Friday called on the Youth and Sports Ministry to issue immediate instruction to repair the National Sports Council’s athletics track in Bukit Jalil.

MAAU deputy president Karim Ibrahim said the track should be repaired and upgraded soon because most of the training for the field and track athletes at all levels, including the elite squad, was being held there.

“We have received reports that some athletes were injured while undergoing training there.

“So, to avoid more severe injuries, the track should be repaired immediately as the athletes are preparing for the SEA Games in Laos,” he told Bernama

Karim said he had submitted an application to the ministry pertaining to the matter but nothing had been done.

“Since the athletics has the most number of athletes compared with other sports, more focus should be given to it,” he said.

Karim also said that the track was not only used by the national athletes but also foreign athletes undergoing training under the High Performance Training Centre programme.

– BERNAMA

September 12, 2009 21:43 PM

Roslinda who holds the national women’s pole vault record with a height of 4.40m and ranked 16th in the world, is expected to defend her title at the Laos SEA Games in December.