Yap soars her way to high jump gold
NEW CLARK CITY: National high jumper, Yap Sean Yee soared her way to the gold medal on the fourth day of the 30th SEA Games athletics competition here today.
The 24-year-old who had to settle for the silver at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, cleared 1.81 metres in her fifth attempt at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.
She shared the gold with Thailand’s Wanida Boonwan who also recorded the same height on the fifth attempt, while Pham Thin Diem of Vietnam secured the bronze with a jump of 1.78 metres.
Another Malaysian athlete, Norliyana Kamaruddin, came in fifth place out of seven athletes after clearing 1.75 metres.
“This gold have certainly made up for the disappointment of losing the gold two years ago, but I’m actually a bit disappointed after failing to match my personal best of 1.83 metres,” she told reporters when met after the event.
“Prior to the SEA Games, I just looked back at what were my mistakes and I try to improve everything to make sure my jumps went well this time around,” added Yap.
Earlier, national 110m hurdler, Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian, despite clocking 13.97 seconds, failed to defend the gold he won in 2017 after being pipped at the tape by the host nation’s naturalised athlete Clinton Kingsley Bautista. The competition technical team awarded Clinton the gold on photo finish.
The bronze went to athlete from Laos, Anousone Xaysa who clocked13.99 seconds.
Two other national athletes, Choo Kang Ni and Queenie Ting Kung Ni, had to be contended with the silver and bronze in the women’s discuss throw event, recording a best distance of 47.02 and 45.28 metres respectively.
The gold was won by Thailand’s Subenrat Insaeng who broke the SEA Games her own record with a throw measuring 60.33 meter on her fifth attempt, in the process wiping out her old record of 59.56 metres at the 2015 Singapore Games.
The athletics squad also won two bronze, first in the men’s 4×100 metres relay through the quartet comprising 2019 SEA Games Sprint King Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi, Khairul Hafiz Jantan, Nixson Kennedy and Russell Alexander Nasir Taib and later Royson Vincent in the men’s 800 metres.
— BERNAMA
