High jumper Hup Wei might miss SEA Games, again

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Asian champion Lee Hup Wei is in danger of missing out on the SEA Games for the second time.

The three-time SEA Games gold medallist from 2007 to 2011, who holds the national record of 2.27m, was a letdown in the Queensland Club Athletics Championships in Australia last week.

Hup Wei, who won the 2004 Asian Track and Field (ATF) meet gold medal in Jordan after clearing 2.24m, could only manage a poor 2.05m clearance in Queensland.

Hup Wei, who is prone to injuries, was out of action for six months last year with an ankle injury.

To date, two high jumpers – 2013 Myanmar SEA Games gold medallist Nauraj Singh Randhawa and youngster Mohd Ashraf Saipu Rahmat – have qualified on merit for the Singapore SEA Games from June 5-16.

The qualifying mark for SEA Games is 2.13m, which is the silver medal effort of the previous Games.

National Sports Council (NSC) sports manager for athletics Datuk K. Magendran said that they were expecting him to clear at least 2.10m “although we knew that the Queensland meet was his first competition for this year”.

“He still has phobia about aggravating the injury. Anyway, he still has two more competitions in Australia to regain his confidence and rhythm,” said Magendran.

“We hope he will be able to do much better in his second competition – the Victoria Open – today.”

Two years ago, Hup Wei was among five high jumpers who qualified for the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games. But since the competition rules only allow each country to submit two entries for each event, the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) used the Malaysian Open to decide on the jumpers.

Nauraj Singh and S. Navinraj finished top two in the Malaysian Open and were selected. Hup Wei injured his back during the competition to finish third and was out of the Games.

So far, 10 athletes – five men and five women – have qualified for the Games. The others male athletes are 400m runner Arif Zulhilmi Alet, pole vaulter Iskandar Alwi and discus thrower Mohd Irfan Shamsuddin.

The women athletes are Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (100m), Noor Amira Nafiah (long jump), Yap Jeng Tzan (discus), Grace Wong and Casier Renee Kelly Lee (hammer).