Wow, This Malaysian Sprinter Outran A Jamaican In An International Competition!
The Asian junior champion advanced into the semifinals with confidence.
By John Lim — 20 Jul 2016, 06:31 PM
Young sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan advanced into the semi finals of the 100-metre semifinals of the World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 19 July
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event is held every two years.
What's even more impressive is that Khairul outran a Jamaican to score himself a place in the semifinals!
Khairul, who has a personal best of 10.36 seconds which he clocked in winning gold at the Asian Junior Championships in June, qualified automatically after clocking 10.44 seconds to finish second in Heat 2 ahead of Jamaica's Jhevaughn Matherson (10.47).
Prior to the event, Khairul had a one-week training stint in Germany. Needless to say, it really made a difference since he was able to meet his coach's target by reaching the semifinals.
Jantan (third from left) posing for a photo with his teammates after a training session.
Image via New Strait TimesHis coach, Poad Kassim, played an influential role in shaping Khairul to the sprinter he is today. He's currently based in Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School in Johor as a track and field coach.
Turning 18 this Friday, the Malacca native's birthday wish is to qualify for the finals. From the looks of it, he's pretty close to having his dream come true!
"If I managed to qualify for the finals, it would be the best birthday gift for me as I would be the first Malaysian to do that. In order to achieve that, I would need to push myself to the limit. It will be tough, but not impossible," said Khairul.
Sadly, his teammate - Badrul Hisyam Manap - failed to secure a spot in the semifinals after finishing fifth in Heat 4
The Asian Schools Games gold medallist was expected to break his personal record of 10.29 seconds.
Both the 100m semi-finals and final will be held on 20 July. We wish you all the best, Khairul!
