PETALING JAYA: National sprinter G. Aravinn Thevarr wins the men’s 200m final on a day Malaysia sizzled with four gold medals at the Singapore Open Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.
Source: Malaysian athletic team shine in Singapore with four more golds
PETALING JAYA: National sprinter G. Aravinn Thevarr has made steady progress since making his debut in the Singapore SEA Games last June.
The 23-year-old from Perak clocked a personal best of 21.07 to pip Vietnam’s Trong Hinh Le by 0.01 of a second to win the men’s 200m final on the second day of the Singapore Open Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.
Malaysia’s Jonathan Nyepa won the bronze in 21.56.
Aravinn’s previous personal best was 21.13, which he set on the way to the gold in the Pahang Open in March.
The lanky Aravinn believes he can go faster.
“I will continue to train hard as I intend to dip below 21 seconds,” said Aravinn.
The Malaysian men also won three more golds on Friday.
There was a rare clean sweep in the 800m, with M. Kesavan (1:52.81) finishing ahead of Asif Rahman Jiyaudeen (1:53.90) and Putra Azrul Syazwan Azman (1:55.14).
Two-time SEA Games gold medallist Muhd Irfan Shamsuddin had no problems winning the discus event with a throw of 55.65m.
But his effort was way off his personal best of 58.04m, which he set in the Malaysian Open last year.
SEA Games record holder Muhd Hakimi Ismail bagged the fourth gold of the day in the triple jump event with a leap of 16.12m.
Hakimi’s mark, however, was nowhere near his Games record of 16.76m.
Pole vaulter Iskandar Alwi, who has a personal best of 5.20m, could only clear 5.00m to bag the bronze.
In women’s competition, sprinter Zaidatul Husnia Zulkifli, who finished fourth in the 100m, clocked 24.36 to win the silver in the 200m.
The Malaysian women’s athletes also won two silvers and one bronze on Saturday.
RESULTS
MEN
200m: 1. G. Aravinn Thevarr (Mas) 21.07, 2. Trong Hinh Le (Vie) 21.08, 3. Jonathan Nyepa (Mas) 21.56.
800m: 1. M. Kesavan (Mas) 1:52.81, 2. Asif Rahman Jiyaudeen (Mas) 1:53.90, 3. Putra Azrul Syazwan Azman (Mas) 1:55.14.
400m hurdles: 1. Jun Qi Cai (Chn) 51.65, 2. A. Andrian (Ina) 52.33, 3. Ka Chun Chan (Hkg) 53.08.
Discus: 1. Muhd Irfan Shamsuddin (Mas) 55.65m, 2. Ruckpaul Uli (Sin) 52.72m, 3. Julien Rapet (Sin) 44.36m.
Pole vault: 1. John Obiena Ernest (Phi) 5.55m, 2. Chia Han Hsieh (Tpe) 5.10m, 3. Iskandar Alwi (Mas) 5.00m.
Triple jump: 1. Muhd Hakimi Ismail (Mas) 16.12m, 2. Chakkrit Panthsa (Tha) 14.70m, 3. Setyo Utomo Okky (Ina) 14.61m.
WOMEN
200m: 1. Shanti Pereira (Sin) 24.04, 2. Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (Mas) 24.36, 3. Thi Oanh Nguyen (Vie) 24.48.
800m: 1. Li Myint Swe (Mya) 2:15.64, 2. Nicole Liaw (Sin) 2:22.93, 3. Janielle Lim (Sin) 2:24.80.
400m hurdles: 1. Chui Ling Goh (Sin) 1:03.42, 2. Yvette Chong (Sin) 1:08.62.
Discus: 1. Tsai Yi Li (Tpe) 48.17m, 2. Yap Jeng Tzan (Mas) 46.85m, 3. Kang Ki Choo (Mas) 45.39m.
Pole vault: 1. Nara Idea Jelita (Ina) 3.75m, 2. Rachel Isabel Yang (Sin) 3.60m, 3. Jeane Obiena Emily (Phi) 3.40m.
Triple jump: 1. Mu Dan Chen (Chn) 13.12m, 2. Noor Shahidatun Nadia Mohd Zuki (Mas) 12.94m, 3. Parinya Chuaimaroeng (Tha) 12.62m.