BENEDICT Ian Gawok and Muhammad Ridwan Ridfal completed a 1-2 finish for Sabah in the men’s 110m hurdles at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today
The 22-year-old clocked 14.40s for the gold while Ridwan did 14.49s and Johor’s Muhammad Hazriq Che Mat KIlau clocked 14.85s for bronze.
“My best time was 14.33s which I did in the semifinals yesterday. I know I can do better than this. My next event is the Universities championship in Sarawak,” said Benedict who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree programme in human ecology at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
The SEA Games qualifying time for Category A athletes in the 110m hurdles is 14.26s and Category B is 13.
“I aim to set a better time to qualify for SEA Games under Category A. I have started training and this Malaysia Games is one of the barometers,” he added.
The presence of Sabah and national No 1 hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian who has turned to coaching after the last Sea Games in Hanoi has been an instrumental factor in the rise of athletes performing well in the state.
“Personally, I am very excited and happy with Benedict’s performance. He is a very talented and good candidate in taking over where others have left,” said Rayzam.
