KUALA LUMPUR: Javelin athlete Syed Abrar Syed Ahmad Zazawi has set the bar high for himself for the upcoming Phnom Penh Sea Games (May 5-17).
It will be his debut in the biennial competition, but that has not stopped him from setting himself a target of hitting the 66m mark in Cambodia.
His current personal best is only 60m, which he achieved en route to gold at the Malaysia Games (Bukit Jalil) in September.
The 23-year-old will be competing as a Category B athlete in Phnom Penh as he was not able to achieve the 'A' qualifying mark of 66.86m.
The Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) will have to pay for Syed Abrar's expenses at the Sea Games, but will be reimbursed by the government if he is able to win a medal of any colour.
Syed Abrar, who has been coached by Akmal Zain since 2017, admitted that hitting the 66m mark will not be easy, but he is up for the challenge.
"I am leaving no stone unturned in my quest to achieve this goal. I believe nothing is impossible," said Syed Abrar today.
"I anticipate that 66m will be sufficient to place me within the medals at the Sea Games and justify my place in the squad.
"Working hard towards the goal and achieving it would give me great satisfaction."
His 56.17m throw was enough to see him win gold at the Malaysian Track and Field Championships (Bukit Jalil) last month.
Syed Abrar, who is studying electrical engineering at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, has also shone in university competitions.
He won gold (55.27m) at the Institution of Higher Learning athletics meet in Melaka on March 12 and claimed silver (58.43m) at the Asean University Games in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, in August. The latter was his first international meet.