NOOR Amira Nafiah is glad to have booked her Singapore Sea Games berth early as she bids to put a nightmare outing at the last edition in 2013 firmly behind her.
The injury-prone Amira erased a nine-year-old national record in the women's long jump held by Ngew Sin Mei when she soared to 6.29 metres at the Asean University Games in Palembang earlier this week.
Amira’s effort was five centimetres better than the second-placed mark of the 2013 Sea Games - which is used as the qualifying standard for next year.
In Naypyidaw last year, Amira failed to lift off in either the long jump or triple jump as a long-standing heel injury flared up upon her arrival there.
With the injury still bothering her, Amira plans to drop the triple jump, in which she also holds the national record of 13.90m, to focus solely on the long jump.
“I’m glad I qualified early so that I can spend the next five months preparing for the Sea Games,” said Amira, 25, yesterday after returning from Palembang.
“I’m pleased to have got the national record as well though my aim was to beat the qualifying mark. I don’t intend to try to qualify for the triple jump as I just want to focus on the long jump. My heel hurts more when I compete in the triple jump and I don’t want it to happen again.”
Amira will have her work cut out for her in Singapore with Indonesia’s Maria Natalia Londa and Vietnam’s Bui Thi Thu Thao - respectively the 2014 Asian Games long jump gold and silver medallists - also down in the same event.
“The competition is going to be tough with Asia’s No 1 and No 2 in my event. That’s why I hope to compete in enough events to be prepared,” added Amira who coincidentally finished behind Maria and Thi Thu Thao in Palembang.
Aside from Amira, discus throwers Irfan Shamshuddin and Yap Jeng Tzan and sprinter Zaidatul Husniah Zulfkili also booked their tickets to Singapore in Palembang, joining high jumpers Nauraj Singh Randhawa and Ashraf Saipu Rahman, who both qualified earlier.
Pole vaulter Iskandar Alwi, 400m runner Arif Zulhilmi Alet, discus thrower Queenie Ting, high jumper Lee Hup Wei and hammer throwers Jackie Wong, Grace Wong and Casier Renee Kelly Lee have all surpassed the qualifying marks in their respective events in 2014 but did so before the qualifying period began on June 5. By Devinder Singh