High jumper Sabrina scores an A for audacity

SERDANG: Johor’s Nur Sabrina Najwa Efrudin drew big cheers for her audacity in taking a bold risk as she leapt to the Malaysia Games’ (Sukma) high jump gold at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Stadium here yesterday.

Going into the competition with a personal best of 1.63m, the 19-year-old had big ideas as she attempted to break the Games record of 1.75m set by Nurliyana Kamaruddin in 2010.

The bar was raised to 1.76m, and although all three of her attempts ended in failure, she still drew applause from the crowd for her daring effort.

Sabrina’s best jump of 1.72m was also a significant achievement as it was a major improvement from the 2024 edition, where she finished seventh with 1.55m.

“I had to be more ambitious as my parents had travelled a long way to be here to watch me compete. So I had to prove what I was capable of,’’ said the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School student, who has competed in the high jump since her primary school days.

“While I did not achieve my aim of breaking the record, I managed to better my personal best three times. I first did 1.66m, then 1.69m and finally 1.72m for the gold.

‘’To do it in front of my parents gave me a great feeling.

“As for the Games record, I still have another Sukma to look forward to.”

Meanwhile, Sabah’s Ku Yee Alang took silver with a jump of 1.66m, while Sarawak’s Chloe Theng Shian Yee settled for bronze with 1.62m.