KUALA LUMPUR: After suffering with injuries for the past three years, national runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy now sets her sights higher towards 2022 Asian Games podium finish and 2024 Olympics qualifications.
Fresh after setting new personal best (PB) in the 400m indoor dash, clocking 55.69s at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Minnesota State University, Mankato in the United States on Saturday, the 20-year-old also aims to break her PB of 54.26s in the outdoor event.
The daughter of former track couple, Samson Vallabouy and Josephine Mary, who started her four-year degree in Physical Education at the Winona State University (WSU), Minnesota seven weeks ago, also edged her mother’s 400m indoor PB of 56.05s on Saturday.
“It is my third indoor meet since I arrived in the US and it is more of a tactical race running in a 200m indoor track, but I still did it well. Currently, I am training under coach Mason Rebarchek.
“This year’s goal is to break my PB of 54.26 (outdoor) and to clock a new time which I could not do for the past three years due to health issue and injury. I hope to achieve that at the 2019 SEA Games, but the date clashes with my final semester exam in December.
“I am not sure (about SEA Games), but if I could get approval from WSU and selected for national team, and everything works well, my goal is to achieve podium finish. On the long term, I aim to win 400m gold at the 2021 SEA Games besides sights on Asian Games podium and 2024 Olympics debut,” she told Bernama.
Shereen, who won the 400m bronze medal at the 2015 SEA Games and part of the 2017 SEA Games women’s 4x400m relay bronze medal winning team after missing the individual event due to hamstring injury, is delighted with her current feat and hopes to continue her progress.
“I am adapting well and the support team in WSU is great! We train and travel as a team and everyone is helpful here. The student-athletes here has a monitor to progress in education as well, which they make sure athletes balance both,” she said.
The 2018 Sukma champion (400m), who received 80 percent scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) via WSU, is hopeful of getting a favourable feedback for some support allowances to cover the remaining 20 percent. – Bernama
