KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak-born 100m sprinter Jonathan Nyepa (pic) and hammer thrower Grace Wong Xiu Mei have been listed among the Category A athletes for the 2019 SEA Games beginning November 30. A total of 18 men and eight women athletes are listed in Category A while 10 men and eight women athletes are listed in Category B. National runner-up Khairul Hafiz Jantan will remain at the Games in the Philippines when the Malaysian Sport Union (KOM) agreed to make his name in the B category in the 4x100m event. The KOM Select Committee, which met at the National Sports Council (MSN) Mini Stadium Sunday, unveiled the gold medal winner of the 100m blue ribbon event for the 2017 edition of Kuala Lumpur in the 4x100m quartet with Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi, Muhammad Zulfikar Ismail and Nixon Kennedy.
Athletics head coach Mohd Manshahar Abd Jalil said the decision also opened the way for Khairul Hafiz to return to the 100m event but the official decision would only be made known at a committee meeting to be held in the near future.
“We put that name (Khairul Hafiz) in the B category for the first place among the 100m nationals. Everything was placed first for the 4x100m as our main focus. But the opportunity remains for him to compete in the 100m with Jonathan Nyepa is worth it. “This list is only to be submitted to the Malaysian Olympic Council (MOM) due to the participation of the athletes and the names must reach the organisers of the SEA Games before Sept 2,” he said at a press conference announcing the list of sports athletes to the Philippine SEA Games at the MSN Mini Stadium here on Sunday.
The athlete known as ‘The Male Seedy’ remained in the B category despite failing to reach the 10.43s qualifying for the SEA Games for the 100m event after only finishing second with a time of 10.71s at the 2019 KOM Sports Championship last Friday. The failure resulted in the 22-year-old failing to qualify for the Philippine SEA Games. Similarly, the fate of the country’s sprint queen Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli when her name was only listed in the B category for the 4x100m event. – Bernama
