KUALA LUMPUR – Sarawakian Brendon Ting Li King created an upset to take the gold medal in the triple jump at the Kuala Lumpur All Comers 2024 athletics meet here today.
Brendon, representing Kawan Athletics, cleared 15.56m to defeat SEA Games champion Andre Anura Anuar and clinched the gold medal, while Andre took the silver with a jump of 15.39m.
The bronze medal went to Andrew George Medina of Singapore Sports School with a jump of 15.29 m.
Brendon, who represented Malaysia in the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games, admitted that Andre was not in his best form, which enabled him to triumph in the event held at the National Sports Council mini stadium in Bukit Jalil.
“I can feel that I am in top form today and Andre is not performing well. I hope today’s achievement can pave the way for me to return to action at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand,” he said.
The 22-year-old athlete is also determined to work hard in order to renew his personal best record of 15.62m achieved at the Kuala Lumpur Open 2022 at the Malaysia Open 2024 this June.
In the meantime, Andre, who remains satisfied despite failing to bring home the gold at today’s tournament, will shift his focus to make his debut and achieve a podium position at the 2024 Asean University Games in Surabaya-Malang, Indonesia, this June.
Meanwhile, national runner Mohd Rizzua Haizad Muhamad delivered on the prediction by winning the men’s 110m hurdles event in 14.27 seconds.
The 26-year-old athlete defeated Sarawak State Sports Council athlete Elvin Yap who grabbed the silver with 14.57s, while Muhammad Shahrul Aiman from Johor took home the bronze with 15.13s.
The runner from Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, admitted to starting slowly on the race stage before picking up the pace enough to overtake Elvin at the finish line.
“Even though it started a bit slow, I didn’t lose my spirit to chase Elvin,” he said. – March 3, 2024