Hammer thrower Sadat strikes gold but he’s a picture of discontent

PETALING JAYA: National hammer thrower Sadat Marzuqi Ajisan may have claimed the gold medal at the Malaysian Open, but the result did little to satisfy the ambitious athlete.

The 25-year-old admitted he was frustrated by a lack of consistency in his throws and felt capable of producing a much better mark than his winning effort of 62.39m at the Universiti Putra Malaysia Stadium in Serdang yesterday.

“My throws weren’t consistent because of my technique and also the conditions at the venue because there were cracks at the throwing area,” said Sadat, whose personal best is 65.24m, which he recorded in the Taiwan Open earlier this month.

“I’m not satisfied at all despite winning gold because I was aiming to throw beyond 63m. A bonus would have been 65m, but it wasn’t to be.

“A good throwing area helps with both your technique and confidence. Right now, I’m just waiting to find out if I’m eligible for the Asian Games. Until then, I’ll continue working harder in training.”

Despite his disappointment, Sadat, representing Malaysian Universities, comfortably dominated the men’s hammer throw competition, finishing well ahead of Sabah’s Nabil Faiz Ayub, who took silver with 50.84m, while Police’s Rizhan Rajmi claimed bronze with 49.22m.

The competition also witnessed several standout performances across the track and field events.

In the women’s long jump, Kelantan’s Alia Batrisya Nasaruddin emerged champion with a leap of 5.84m. Although Sarawak’s Maritza Ferrer recorded the same distance, Alia secured gold on countback, while Malaysian Universities’ Nurkhaleesa Yasmin settled for bronze with 5.65m.

In the women’s 800m, Johor’s Geetha Sivaraja crossed the line first in 2:18.67s to clinch the gold ahead of Sabah’s Nur Syifa Raisha Adnan Firdaus (2:20.52s) and Terengganu’s Marissa Maisyara Mazlan (2:22.76s).

Meanwhile, Malaysian long jumper Andre Anura gained valuable international exposure at the Korean Open when he finished fifth among 10 athletes in the long jump final.

Competing against a strong field, Andre registered his best effort of 7.21m.

Hong Kong’s Lin Mingfu won the event with a leap of 7.47m, edging South Korea’s Lee Hyun-woo (7.44m), while the Philippines’ Janry Ubas finished third with 7.38m.