Foul!

As published in today's Mailsport By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA — The recent exploits of Khairul Hafiz Jantan prove the country has amazing talents and coaches who are capable of turning our youngsters into champions. Olympic Council of Malaysia assistant secretary-general Datuk Sieh Kok Chi also credited schools for having nurtured talented athletes. Khairul Hafiz Jantan broke the 100m national record of 10.30s after clocking 10.18s to win the gold medal at the Malaysia Games on Wednesday. He also registered a new 200m Games record after he bettered his timing from 21.14s to 21.03s — all within 24 hours. He smashed the 14-year-old Games record of 21.33s held by Nazmizan Muhammad. “We are our worst enemies. We have plenty of talents but instead of saying nice things, we often doubt their capabilities,” said Kok Chi. “The country has plenty of talents, our local coaches are capable of moulding champions. Why can’t we accept that fact and help them?” H...

As published in Sunday Mail today Being Frank By Frankie D’Cruz MALAYSIA’S newest sporting hero, sprinter Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap, 18, should be a household name. Sadly, he isn’t so. Certain media don’t even get the spelling of his name right. That’s disappointing. Badrul who clocked 10.29s to break Watson Nyambek’s 17-year national 100m record by one-tenth of a second last Monday is one of the best stories this year. Sadly, his story has not gripped the nation. That’s depressing. The schoolboy’s spectacular achievement is one of the defining moments of Malaysian athletics, yet it has been virtually ignored by the authorities including the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) that has had a series of poor stories in recent years. The education and youth and sports ministries also failed to make Badrul, a young inspiring Malaysian, top news. Here’s the thing: at a time when the authorities are struggling to encourage the young to excel in sports...