LEE Hup Wei is going places fast after attracting the attention of European meeting organisers with his recent excellent performances.The high jumper has been invited to a prestigious three-day high jump international meet in Eberstadt, Germany starting tomorrow where he will become the first Asian to compete in 26 years.

The Eberstadt organisers only invite the best high jumpers in the world and Hup Wei will be in exalted company in the senior men’s high jump event.
Others invited include reigning world indoor champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia, 2007 world champion Donald Thomas of the Bahamas, European champion Alexandr Shustov of Russia and American Jesse Williams, the World No 4.

Hup Wei has also been selected by the Asian Athletics Association to represent Asia Pacific at the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup in Spilt, Croatia on Sept 4-5 in yet another indication of his growing status.

There he will have Qatar’s Rashid Ahmed Al-Mannai as his teammate and be up against Thomas and American Dusty Jonas of the Americas team, Shustov and Britain’s Martry Bernard of the European team and Botswana’s Kabelo Kgosiemang and Cameroon’s Raoul Matongo of the African team.
The invitations for Hup Wei comes after the 23-year-old won four meets this year including a hat-trick at the Asian Grand Prix series and his second career European international title in Liege, Belgium last month.

Hup Wei, who has matched his national record of 2.27m twice already this year, will use both meets as preparation for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games and Guangzhou Asian Games, where he has a realistic chance of a medal.

German Jorg Teichmann, who once coached former national and Sea Games high jump champion Loo Kum Zee, lent a hand in getting Hup Wei the Eberstadt invite, which he believes is fully deserved.
“This is one of the most biggest high jump meetings in Europe and only the best high jumpers in the world are invited. I believe Hup Wei deserves this chance to compete against the best.

“Most of the jumpers there have cleared 2.30m, which is the standard for this meet, but because Hup Wei won in Belgium and has been very consistent this year, the organisers were impressed and extended an invitation even though he has not cleared 2.30 before.

“It is also the first time they have invited an Asian high jumper since 1984, when the then-Asian champion from China was invited,” said Teichmann yesterday.

Read more: Hup Wei enters the big league http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/osghdba/Article/#ixzz0xg8pOgIk

KUALA LUMPUR: In the absence of top national high jumper Lee Hup Wei, Youth Olympics bound S. Navinraj hopes to bag the gold medal in the Malaysian Grand Prix championships at the National Sports Council (NSC) training track in Bukit Jalil today.

The 24-year-old Hup Wei is in Europe for a training and competition stint as part of his preparations for the New Delhi Commonwealth (October) and Guangzhou Asian Games (November).

Also out of the GP meet is Sukma (Malaysia Games) champion Nauraj Singh, who has to participate in a Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) camp in Rembau today.

Navinraj, a Form Five student of BJSS, said that he needed to perform well in the GP meet to boost his confidence for the inaugural Youth Olympics, which begin on Thursday in Singapore.

“I was the top national junior high jumper until Nauraj upstaged me at the Malacca Sukma in June and also in the Asean School Games in Bukit Jalil last month,” said Navinraj, who has a personal best of 2.11m, which he did at the Perak Open last October.

In Sukma, Navinraj only managed to clear 2.03m to win the bronze medal and he settled for the silver in the Asean Schools Games with a height of 2.06m.

The Segamat-born Navinraj qualified for Youth Olympic by finishing second with a height of 2.08m in the Asian qualifying meet in Singapore in May.

Navinraj added that he was concerned that he had been unable to come close to his personal best this year.

“The pressure will be on me in the GP meet and I hope that I will be good enough to land the gold medal,” he said.

“My target in the Youth Olympics is to qualify for the final round and to achieve that I need to at clear at least 2.10m.”

Navinraj made his international debut in the Laos SEA Games last December and cleared 2.05m for fifth place.

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) — Malaysia has been given the honour of hosting the prestigious 2010 Asia Masters Athletics Championships at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, from Dec 6-12.

This will be the second time Malaysia has been given the host job, after successfully hosting the 1990 edition which saw 1,024 athletes from nine countries taking part.

According to Malaysian Masters Athletics Association (MMAA) Honorary Secretary and the Asia Masters Athletics Championships competition director S. Sivapragasam, all 24 countries affiliated to the Asia Masters Athletics (AMA) association would be taking part in the championships.

“It is indeed a great honour for MMAA and Malaysia to be given the host job. We hope to stage the championships successfully so as to uphold Malaysia’s credibility as a capable host.

“We strongly believe that this championships will be a platform to spread the spirit of goodwill and solidarity among former athletes as well as provide a competitive competition for ex-international athletes to showcase their talent,” said Sivapragasam after launching the event on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek in his message expressed gratitude to all Asian countries for having shown confidence in selecting Malaysia as the host for the championships.

“Such championships will certainly keep masters athletes fit and healthy. We all believe in the saying “A healthy mind is in a healthy body”. Furthermore, it provides a good opportunity for those who had been prominent athletes in the past, to meet their old friends and exchange views on and off the competition arena,” said Ahmad Shabery.

The championships will feature 25 men’s and women’s events for 13 age groups, ranging from 35 to 99.

Men and women born on or before Dec 8, 1970 are eligible to participate in the competition.

The championships, sanctioned by AMA, is organized by the MMAA with support from the Ministry of Youth and sports.

Sivapragasam said Malaysia has targetted 35 golds in championships, 12 golds more than their previous feat in Chiang Mai, Thailand two years ago.

– BERNAMA

AJMAL Aiman Mat Hassan and Nauraj Singh Randhawa headlined a brilliant second day for Malaysia at the Asean Schools athletic competition with five gold medals coming the country’s way in Bukit Jalil yesterday.Amir Fakhri Ismail, Noor Shahidatun Nadia Zuki and the boys’ 4×100m quartet joined hurdler Aiman and high jumper Nauraj on the winners’ podium at the National Sports Council’s training track and took Malaysia’s tally to seven gold after two days of competition.

Ajmal began the gold rush by winning the boys’ 110m hurdles in 14.11 seconds but it was achieved with a tinge of frustration for he missed out on the world youth meet for the second year running through no fault of his.
The Terengganu youngster will be forced to skip the World Junior Championships in Canada next week after also missing last year’s World Youth Championship due to an influenza outbreak.

Having proved his credentials by becoming the first of four Malaysians to qualify for Canada in April, Ajmal will sit at home in frustration over the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union’s failure to raise funds for the trip to the World Juniors.

“It feels good to win today (yesterday), even on a wet track, but I regret I won’t be going to the World Juniors. It’s the second time this has happened despite qualifying on merit.
“It’s so frustrating but there’s nothing I can do except to try improve my performances. Maybe, I’ll get a chance in two years’ time,” said Ajmal, 17, who is ranked third in the country in the hurdles after Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian and Robani Hassan.

At least Ajmal has the consolation of competing at the Youth Olympics next month, along with Johor’s Nauraj, who impressed by winning the high jump in a personal best of 2.13 metres.

The Malaysia Games champion again denied teammate S. Navin Raj in a battle of the two Malaysian juniors after the latter could go no higher than 2.06.
“I can now consider myself the best junior high jumper in the country, at least when you compare our personal bests.

“I know I can improve further but if only I get to compete in higher level competitions,” said the strapping Nauraj, who hopes to get a call-up for the China Open next month.

Amir Fakhri’s ’special endurance’ allowed him to edge Thailand’s Arnon Jairee on the line after trailing about a metre at the final bend to win the boys’ 400m in 47.90 seconds, a personal best.

Although the time qualified him for Canada, the July 5 deadline for qualification had passed.

“I’m so happy to have won. It was special endurance that helped with the final burst of speed. But I was confident I would catch him,” said Kelantan’s Amir Fakhri.

Nadia led the girls’ long jump competition with her very first attempt and none of her rivals came close to beating her 5.86m effort, a new Games record.

The boys’ 4×100m quartet rounded out a perfect evening for Malaysia when they edged favourites Thailand to the gold, clocking 41.35s to the Thais’ 41.44.

RESULTS:

Boys — 400m: 1 Amir Fakhri Ismail (Mas) 47.90s (GR), 2 Arnon Jaiaree (Tha) 47.99, 3 Nitipol Thongpoon (Tha) 48.16, 4 Fairol Nazim Mohd Noor (Mas) 49.56;

4×100m: 1 Malaysia 41.35s, 2 Thailand 41.44, 3 Indonesia 42.46;

110m hurdles: 1 Ajmal Aiman Mat Hassan (Mas) 14.11s (GR), 2 Nichanon Pongpimay (Tha) 14.25, 3 Sean Toh Renjie (Sin) 14.97;

5,000m walk: 1 Nguyen Thanh Ngung (Vie) 22:26.80s (GR), 2 Khairil Harith Harun (Mas) 22:57.90, 3 Hakmal Lisauda (Ina) 24:01.34;

High jump: 1 Nauraj Singh Randhawa (Mas) 2.13m (GR), 2 S. Navin Raj (Mas) 2.06, 3 Tran Thanh Binh (Vie) 2.02;

Discus: 1 Teh Qun You (Sin) 49.29m, 2 Santi Kongtung (Tha) 46.85, 3 Panyawut Bumroong (Tha) 45.85… 6 Alif Hanif Afandi (Mas) 36.94.

Girls — 400m: 1 Nguyen Thi Huyen (Vie) 56.38s (GR), 2 Pornpan Hoemhuk (Tha) 57.10, 3 Sunisa Pedbanna (Tha) 57.21, 4 Nurulassikin Rasid (Mas) 59.19, 5 Nur Farahana Musa (Mas) 1:00.28;

1,500m: 1 Afriana Paijo (Ina) 4:46.77s (GR), 2 Nguyen Thi Bich Tram (Vie) 4:47.25, 3 Nguyen Thi Ha Trang (Vie) 4:48.97;

4×100m: 1 Thailand 46.70s, 2 Malaysia 47.56, 3 Indonesia 49.01;

Long jump: 1 Noor Shahidatun Nadia Zuki (Mas) 5.86m (GR), 2 Luu Thi Hiep (Vie) 5.64, 3 Nguyen Thi Tuoi (Vie) 5.59;

Javelin: 1 Saowalak Pettong (Tha) 42.57m (GR), 2 Stephanie Cimatu (Phi) 42.34, 3 Lo Thi Phien (Vie) 39.89… 5 Nur Fatin Adibah Suharman (Mas) 37.73.