PETALING JAYA: National runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy signalled a timely revival after blazing to gold in the women’s 400m at the Singapore Open on Friday (April 17).
Shereen clocked 54.24s at the Singapore National Stadium to finish ahead of Indonesia’s Mergina Asyerem (55.96s) and home runner Laavinia Jaiganth (57.24s).
Competing in her season opener, Shereen went into the race without a target time but said the result was a promising platform to build on.
The 26-year-old holds the national 400m record of 51.80s, set in 2023 while competing at the collegiate level.
"This was my season opener and I didn’t set a target time before the race. So I’m going to take it from here and build from here,” said Shereen.
Shereen’s last outing was at the Asian Track and Field Championships in South Korea last May.
She was set to compete at the Thailand SEA Games in December but was ruled out due to a left hamstring injury.
"It’s a good start - this time of 54.24s. It’s close to 53s, so I’ll take it. I just need to keep improving.
"It’s about building confidence after last year. I’m trying to get the momentum back and I'm confident that with training, improvement will come. I just have to work for it."
Meanwhile, Umar Osman made it a double for Malaysia in the 400m event after winning the men’s race with a time of 47.14s.
The 22-year-old finished ahead of Indonesia’s Maulana Ismail (47.79s) in second and Frederick Ramirez (47.80s) of the Philippines in third.
It was not too far from his national record time of 46.09s set in 2023, and Umar knows he has more in the tank.
"I’m thankful to win here, but on my timing, I still have to improve. This is the start of the season for me, and I have big expectations this year," said Umar.
Umar got another medal in the men’s 4x400m relay, but settled for silver with teammates Aiman Najmi Anuar, Kanishkann Nathan, and Wan Fazri Wan Mohd Zahari.
They clocked 3:11.60s, coming behind the Philippines with 3:11.25s, while Singapore took bronze with 3:12.68s.
In the men’s triple jump, Malaysia’s Mohd Izzul Haniff took silver with a distance of 15.53m, finishing behind Singapore’s Gabriel Lee (15.72m), while Japan’s Yuito Sueto took third (15.24m).
