It’s a case of déjà vu for youth sprinter, Khairul Hafiz Jantan when he clinched the gold in 200m at the 2016 SUKMA, by clocking in at 21.03 seconds to break the competition record.
However, the Malacca-born athlete fell short of erasing the current national record of 20.92 seconds held by Dr M Jegathesan, which was recorded at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
Khairul’s latest achievement is his second record-breaking win in less than 24 hours.
The 18-year-old is touted as one of the hottest talents in athletics, after his emphatic 100m win at the same competition broke the national record previously held by Sarawak’s Watson Nyambek.
Such an achievement has caused Khairul to be showered with praise by prominent leaders such as Prime Minister Najib Razak and Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin as the nation looks forward to next year’s SEA Games hoping to end the 13-year wait for a gold medal in 100m.
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