PETALING JAYA: Mohd Armin Zahryl strengthened his credentials as Malaysia’s next sprint hurdles star after storming to victory in the men’s 110m hurdles at the Malaysian Open yesterday.
Representing Terengganu, Armin clocked 13.90s to take gold ahead of Sri Lanka’s Ranatungage Roshan Dammika, who finished second in 14.19s at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Stadium in Serdang.
Armed Forces athlete Mohd Rizzua Haizad Mohd claimed bronze in 14.60s.
The result capped a demanding two days for Armin, who had also contested the 100m sprint and secured a bronze medal.
“I ran the 100m three times yesterday and won bronze. Then today, I made it all the way to the final of my preferred event and clocked 13.90s, so I’m happy with the performance,” said Armin, 21.
“The intensity has been high because of the number of races I had to run in both the sprint and hurdles events. But I know I need to push harder if I want to achieve my personal best.
“My next focus is the Asian Under-23 Championships and hopefully, by the end of the season, I can run 13.7s. As for the national record, I want to take it step by step rather than rush things because I’m still young.”
Malaysia’s national 110m hurdles record of 13.67s was set by Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian in 2017.
Meanwhile, women’s hammer thrower Grace Wong admitted she had hoped for a better performance but was pleased to secure a season’s best as she continued preparations for a tight international schedule.
The 26-year-old struck gold with a throw of 61.98m. Malaysian Universities’ Nurul Hidayah Lukman took silver with 51.22m, while Sarawak’s Yoyo Wong settled for bronze with 46.24m.
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