Strong contender: Shereen Samson Vallabouy may be included in the women’s 4x100m relay in Thailand to bolster the squad’s medal chances.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s middle distance queen, Shereen Samson Vallabouy, is back on track and all eyes are now on her SEA Games comeback.
After a slight setback due to health issues during the Asian Track and Field Championships, the national 400m record holder is steadily regaining her form and is eyeing a strong return ahead of the Games in Bangkok.
Shereen, 27, announced her recovery and determination in a heartfelt post, thanking the National Sports Council (NSC), Malaysian Athletics (MA), and the Youth and Sports Ministry for their continuous support and trust.
“As many know, I’ve been battling health issues this year, but thankfully, I’m getting better and bouncing back. My goal now is to come back stronger for the SEA Games,” said Shereen.
She is expected to return to Malaysia in the second week of October and will focus fully on her SEA Games preparations upon arrival.
At the Asian Track and Field Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May, Shereen competed with a fever, finishing fifth in her heat with a time of 54.80s.
Before the Asian meet, she clinched her first title of the year at the Embry-Riddle Running Elements Classic 2025 in Florida. Representing Life Speed, she stormed to victory in the women’s 400m, clocking 53.72s to take gold.
Her best form, however, remains her blistering 51.78s run at the 63rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays in California a year ago, where she shattered Rabia Abdul Salam’s long-standing national record of 52.56s.
In her last SEA Games appearance in Phnom Penh in 2023, Shereen struck gold in her pet event, the 400m, with a time of 52.53s, and also anchored Malaysia’s 4x400m relay team.
This year, her programme may expand.
National sprint coach Mohd Poad Kassim is considering fielding Shereen in the women’s 4x100m relay in Thailand to bolster the squad’s medal chances.
Although she has yet to feature in the event, she tested her speed in the 100m at the East Coast Relays in Florida earlier this year, clocking 11.72s in the preliminary round.
Shereen’s journey back to fitness has not been without struggle.
After competing in the Asian Championships in May, she was struck by health issues that took a toll on her both physically and mentally.
“It drained me mentally as I felt I had let down too many people by not reaching the podium,” said Shereen.
Medical tests later revealed underlying issues, forcing her to tone down her training to focus on recovery.
Her mother and former national athlete, Josephine Mary, confirmed that Shereen is now much better and is looking forward to returning to Malaysia.
“She felt very weak and couldn’t recover no matter what she did after the Asian meet,” Josephine said. “But she made sure to work on that and eventually got back to training. She is much better and ready to step things up.”
