Shereen targets sub-54s in Osaka after golden finish in Lion City

PETALING JAYA: National middle distance runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy (pic) believes she is steadily returning to top form and is targeting a sub-54s run at the Michitaka 13th Kinami Memorial Meet in Osaka today.

The 400m ace heads into the meet with renewed confidence after winning gold at the Singapore Open last month.

Shereen clocked 54.24s at the Singapore National Stadium to finish ahead of Indonesia’s Mergina Asyerem, who posted 55.96s, while Singapore’s Laavinia Jaiganth took third in 57.24s.

“I’m aiming to do better than how I did in the Singapore Open, which is to go below 54 seconds. The potential is there but for that to happen, I have to execute the right races,” said Shereen.

The Osaka meet will mark her second competition since returning from injury and health setbacks that disrupted her progress last year.

Shereen’s last appearance before the Singapore Open was at the Asian Track and Field Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May, where she competed despite a fever and finished fifth in her heat in 54.80s.

After the Asian Championships, however, Shereen struggled with health issues that affected her physically and mentally.

“It drained me mentally as I felt I had let too many people down by not reaching the podium,” she said.

Medical tests later revealed underlying health concerns, forcing her to reduce her training load and prioritise recovery.

She was also ruled out of the Thailand SEA Games in December after suffering a left hamstring injury.

Earlier last year, Shereen had captured the women’s 400m title at the Embry-Riddle Running Elements Classic in Florida, clocking 53.72s while representing Life Speed.

Her career-best performance remains the 51.78s she recorded at the 63rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays in California in 2023, eclipsing Rabia Abdul Salam’s long-standing national record of 52.56s.

Shereen then went on to win the SEA Games gold in Phnom Penh, topping the women’s 400m in 52.53s.