Time’s running out for Badrul to get into relay team

KUALA LUMPUR: Sprinter Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap (pic) needs to clock a decent time in the men’s 100m in the Vietnam Open Athletics Championships in Ho Chi Minh City from July 24-28 to reclaim his place in the men’s 4x100m for next month’s Asian Games.

The 21-year-old from Melaka was dropped from the relay team after he clocked a poor time of 10.90 in the heats in the Malaysian Open at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in May.

His time was way off his personal best of 10.29 he set in the Asean School Athletics Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei in 2015.

Badrul was the member of the quartet which broke the national record by clocking 39.27 in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games last August.

The other runners were Jonathan Nyepa, Nixson Kennedy and Muhd Haiqal Hanafi.

Badrul last featured for Malaysia in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast together with Khairul Hafiz Jantan, Jonathan and Nixson. The quartet clocked 39.39 in the heats.

In the final, they clocked 39.37 to finish in seventh place.

National chief coach Zainal Abas said that Badrul has to prove himself in the 100m event in the Vietnam Open to be selected for the 4x100m for the Asian Games.

“The meet in Vietnam is his last competition to win a place for the Jakarta Games,” said Zainal.

Khairul, who holds the national 100m record of 10.18, is among five sprinters who are training and featuring in competitions in Germany.

The others are Jonathan, Nixson, Haiqal and youngster Muhd Zulfiqar Ismail.

The 18-year-old Zulfiqar from Terengganu was included in the 4x100m for his efforts in winning bronze in the Asian Junior Championships in Gifu, Japan, last month.

The other athletes bound for Vietnam Open are long jumper Muhd Luqman Hakim and Norliayana Kamaruddin, who will compete in heptathlon.