KUALA LUMPUR: Shereen Samson Vallabouy may not have smashed the national women's 400m record, but it was still a good experience for the debutante at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Shereen, a wild card entry, clocked 53.56s to finish seventh in heat six at Hayfield Stadium.
The United States-based athlete's time was almost a second slower than her personal best of 52.68.
There were six heats in the women's 400m and only the top three of each race made the next round.
Poland's Anna Kielbasinska (50.63), Candice McLeod of Jamaica (50.76) and Victoria Ohuruogu of Britain (51.07) finished top three in the heats.
The focus was on Shereen to shine and break the long-standing national record of 52.56 set by Rabia Abdul Salim 29 years ago after she recorded some good times in competitions in the US.
But in Oregon, she fizzled out and struggled in the last 50 metres of the race.
Looks like Shereen, who is pursuing a degree in recreation and tourism at University of Winona in Minnesota, could not take the pressure competing against top-level athletes at the world meet.
With her exit, Malaysia officially have ended their campaign in Oregon.
On July 15, Nauraj Singh Randhawa could not record a jump (2.17m) in the men's high jump .