National hammer thrower, Jackie Wong was still able to beat the national record yesterday, despite not participating in any competitions for last 6 months.
The Sarawakian sketched a new national record with a throw distance of 64.50m at the Pahang Open Athletics Championship which is taking place in Kuantan.
His previous record was set during the Philippines Open in March 2015 with a distance of 63.71m.
“This championship is my first one ever since I was stricken by the injury which sprained my right leg. To be honest, I was only aiming for 60m or at least 61m but today’s (yesterday) result exceeded my expectations,” the 24-year old athlete told Bernama.
“This victory is a great start to this year and I hope to improve my throwing distance record. I am also targeting a gold medal in the South East Asia Games (SEA Games) Kuala Lumpur next year,” she added.
WHAT DO WE THINK?
It’s a fantastic way for Jackie to bounce back and prove that he has still got the mettle to do well. We’ve never really questioned his ability, to be honest. But being out of action for six months can take a toll on anyone, even the greatest athletes out there. But as Jackie correctly pointed out, he’s been training well under the tutelage of Gu Yuan from China, who has been refining the national squad’s throwing techniques as well as training methods. At this rate, he looks good value for a gold medal at the SEA Games in KL next year
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