Bala eyes success with young athletes at WUG

On a mission: Balamurugan (fourth from right) with his athletes.

PETALING JAYA: M. Balamuru­gan may no longer be involved in coaching the national team, but he is now banking on his young athletes to shine at the World University Games (WUG) in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, starting today, in a bid to secure automatic qualification for the SEA Games in Thailand in December.

The former national sprint coach is counting on Aliff Iman Fahimi, Mohd Raimi Mustaffa Kamal, Mohd Thaqif Hisham, Aidil Azhar Azrul Hisyam and Nurul Aliah Maisarah Nor Azmi to deliver strong performances in this year’s competition.