KUALA TERENGGANU: Haiqal Hanafi and Azreen Nabila Alias were crowned the fastest sprinters at the Malaysian Schools Athletics Championships on the opening day of action in Kuala Terengganu on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old Azreen of Terengganu raised the biggest cheer from the home supporters when she ran 12.02 seconds to win the girls' Under-18 100m final and erase the record of 12.07, held by Chiew Hui Lian of Johor since 2010.
A little later, Haiqal of Negri Sembilan came close to breaking an even older record in the boys' 100m final but gladly settled for the win in 10.66 seconds and a personal best.
Azreen was one of four record breakers on Tuesday as the five-day meet began in 34 degrees Celcius at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin with 19 gold medals on offer.
But the heat was of little consequence to Azreen, who blzazed the lanes to leave Sabah's Elice Grenggory a distant second in 12.58s while Selangor's Hee Xiao Yi took bronze in 12.70.
"I'm very happy I won the 100m gold in my first race in the Under-18 category. This year I'm only doing the sprints and the relays and have dropped the hurdles," said Azreen, who won four gold medals in the Under-15 category in Malacca last year.
Haiqal, who like Azreen won gold at the Southeast Asian Youth Championships last month, clocked 10.66 seconds to fall just 0.08 short of the record which Sabah's Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian set in 2006.
Zulfiqar Ismail of Terengganu claimed silver in 10.77 while bronze went to Kuala Lumpur's Solihin Jamali (10.84).
"I won bronze in this event last year so get the gold this time was worth all the hard work I put into training," said Haiqal, who trains alongside national sprinter Badrul Hisyam Manap at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School in Bandar Penawar.
Sarawak's Grace Wong won her fourth consecutive open hammer gold in yet another record-breaking feat, throwing the iron ball to 52.70 metres to improve on last year's mark of 50.74.
Grace, 16, now has 12 gold medals in her collection since making her debut at the championships in 2010.
Another Sarawak athlete, Lim How Shieng, also set a new record with his effort of 54.49 metres in the boys' Under-15 discus nine centimetres better than the 2012 record set by Johor's Aminuddin Ajmain.
Kedah's Rabiatul Yusra Adenan clocked when 13.02 seconds to break the Under-12 100m record of 13.11 seconds Elice set in 2011 before going on to win the final in 13.13.
Sarawak led the medal tally after day one with four gold, one silver and four bronze and followed by Pahang (3-2-2), Terengganu (2-3-0), Johor (2-1-3), Penang (2-1-0), Kedah and Kuala Lumpur (both 2-0-1).
RESULTS
Boys' Open 5,000m: 1 S. Poovasanthan (Pah) 16:04.94s, 2 Y. Mugeneswaran (Pk) 16:44.74, 3 J. Prethib Kumar (Sel) 17:02.79;
Under-18 100m: 1 Haiqal Hanafi (NS) 10.66s, 2 Zulfiqar Ismail (Ter) 10.77, 3 Solihin Jamali (KL) 10.84;
400m: 1 G. Poovinnsegaran (KL) 48.97s, 2 Saiful Safwan Saifuddin (Joh) 48.98, 3 Luqmanul Hakim Khairul Akmal (Pah) 49.20;
Triple jump: 1 Fitri Anaqi Sobry (Ked) 14.58m, 2 Dave Roy Amit (Sab) 14.39, 3 Aznur Baharudin (Joh) 13.90;
Under-15 100m: 1 Fakhrul Abdul Aziz (Pen) 11.03, Azizan Mohd (Sab) 11.26, 3 Syazwan Harris Ahmad (Ked) 11.32;
400m: 1 T. Loganesh (Pk) 51.17s, 2 Aiman Afiq Kamaludin (Kel) 51.55, 3 Thaqif Hisham (Sel) 51.69;
Discus: 1 Lim How Sieng (Sar) 54.49m (rec), 2 Yong Shie Liang (Sar) 52.69, 3 Kamal Farhan A. Rahman (Sel) 49.11m;
Javelin: 1 Pethius Jadam (Sar) 50.89m, 2 Randi Yantalu (Sab) 49.73, 3 Ahmad Radzif Abdul Hasrul (Sab) 49.52;
Under-12 100m: 1 Audray Macshaquille Henry Jugah (Sar) 12.37, 2 Shahriey Haazwanie Shukri (Ter) 12.38, 3 Idham Aqasha Sabri (Pah) 12.40.
Girls' Open 3,000m: 1 J. Puspa Letchumy (Joh) 10:45.68s, A. Manissha (Sel) 11:07.36, 3 Nur Athir Ayuni Sharif (Joh) 11:12.87;
Hammer: 1 Grace Wong Xiu Mei (Sar) 52.70 (rec), 2 Nurul Hidayah Lukman (Sel) 46.22, 3 Nur Aqilah Abd Hakim (Pk) 45.20;
Under-18 100m: 1 Azreen Nabila Alias (Ter) 12.02 (rec), 2 Elice Grenggory (Sab) 12.58, 3 Hee Xiao Yi (Sel) 12.70;
400m: 1 Zaimah Atifah Zainuddin (KL) 58.15, 2 Nur Athirah Khairul Noormizan (Pah) 60.57, 3 Chelsea Cassiopea Evali Bopulas (Sab) 61.87;
Triple jump: 1 Ng Yu Jie (Pah) 11.78m, 2 Nor Ashikin Abas (Pk) 11.56, 3 Liew See Yee (Sar) 11.17;
Under-15 100m: 1 Nor Aliyah Ab Rahman (Joh) 12.36s, 2 Ikma Syaffiera Duris (Sab) 12.64, 3 Nurhaziqah Izzati Zana (Sar) 12.73;
400m: 1 Noor Faizatul Nathasha Bakri (Ter) 61.91s, 2 Erlyn Yong (Sab) 62.40, 3 Nur Ezrina Saofia Emylin Rosmizam (Kel) 63.57;
Shot put: 1 Nani Sahirah Maryata (Pah) 12.66m, 2 Nurrul Ainin Syauqina Nor Azahar (Pah) 12.14, 3 Chng Woon Shyen (Sar) 12.11;
Under-12 100m: 1 Rabiatul Yusra Adenan (Ked) 13.13s, 2 Nur Syafiqah Ezany Johardi (Pen) 13.43, 3 Avriliena Vanafe Gindi (Sar) 13.64;
Long jump: 1 Melissa Choong En Xuan (Pen) 4.53m, 2 Nur Aizam Zamirah Nawi (Ter) 4.49, 3 Tiu Jia Xuan (Joh) 4.40.