Andre’s giant leap

Nail-biting: Andre Anura Anuar in action during the men’s long jump final. — Reuters

BANGKOK: Repeat, repeat, repeat, Andre Anura Anuar kept muttering under his breath.

The long jumper just wanted to do what he had been doing all along. He ended up doing better.

He saved his best for the last with a golden of 7.71m jump to end a 22-year SEA Games wait at the Supachalasai Stadium yesterday, taking the gold medal ahead of Philippines’ defending champion Janry Ubas and Vietnam’s Pham Van Nghia.

The last Malaysian to win the gold was Mohd Shahrul Amri Suhaimi who cleared 7.65m at the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam.

With the win, the contingent’s flag bearer overcame the disappointment of missing out on the triple jump title just two days earlier when he finished second.

It was a nail-biting finish for Andre, for whom the long jump was the last remaining shot at gold.

Ubas had briefly overtook him in the standings, by just two centimetres, during the tense middle stages but Andre refused to panic.

“Two centimetres is nothing. I know my strengths.”

Andre’s fourth and fifth attempts failed to deliver and with the final jump looming, Andre was left telling himself to repeat his earlier feat.

“I imagined I had already won. That was how I controlled my emotions,” he said.

After his 7.71m jump, Ubas lined up his last leap. He managed 7.4m-plus but it was then ruled invalid.

The roar from the Malaysian contingent was instant.

Andre ripped off his jersey, screamed into the night and let his emotion spill freely. “Not everyone can handle pressure, especially in the last session. But I know my ability. I know what I can do in the final hours.”

Ubas settled for silver with 7.64m, while Van Nghia managed 7.49m.

Andre, who holds the national record of 8.02m, dedicated the gold to his wife, national squash player Aifa Azman. But he is far from finished.

He has his eyes on the Asian Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

“My coach (Mohd Firdaus Salim) once told me, if I ever want to retire, I must win these events first,” Andre said.