KUALA LUMPUR: Samson Vallabouy and Josephine Mary ruled the Sea Games track in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, they hope their daughter, Shereen, will start her reign.
Following her meteoric rise, Shereen is expected to win the women's 400m gold in the Phnom Penh Sea Games next month.
Josephine, 56, who has bagged six gold, one silver and one bronze in the 400m, 800m and 4x400m across six Sea Games from 1983 to 1993, said they are proud of Shereen's achievements.
"Shereen has made steady progress under coach Mason Rebarchek, and she has broken the national 400m indoor and outdoor records.
"My husband and I have won gold for Malaysia in the Sea Games. I want Shereen to follow in my footsteps.
"It will be a proud moment for us if Shereen can do it. It will be great to see Shereen continue the family tradition by delivering gold in the Sea Games.
"Based on the national record of 51.80s she set in California recently, we believe that she can finish on top of the podium."
Josephine's elder daughter, Jocelyn, 27, competed in the 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m in three Malaysia Games from 2012-2016, and the national championships from 2013 to 2017.
Samson, 57, said: "We are proud of our daughter. And we pray and hope that Shereen will finish on top of the podium in the Sea Games.
"It's every parent's dream to see their children do better than them," said Samson, who won the Sea Games 800m and 4x400m gold in the 1989 KL edition.
His 800m time of 1:48.29s, a national record set in 1989, still stands until today. Samson also retained his 800m crown in the 1991 Manila Sea Games.
Shereen, who is studying at the Winona State University in Minnesota, is the favourite to win the 400m Sea Games gold after she clocked a superb 51.80s at the St Mac Relays Invitational Elite competition in California on April 15. Her effort erased Rabia Abdul Salam's 30-year-old national record of 52.56s.
Shereen's 51.80s made her the second fastest in Asia, and her time is also better than the Sea Games record of 51.83s set by Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Tinh in 2003.
Shereen returned to Malaysia yesterday to visit her parents, and will continue to train here in preparation for the Sea Games.