KUALA LUMPUR – The Southeast Asian Youth Championships, scheduled in Sabah from November 21 to 25, will see the Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF) organise a clinic to elevate the level of coaches in the state.
The coaching clinic will be held from June 6 until 8 and will focus on the high jump and hammer throw.
The clinic will be conducted by Jorge Luis Alfaro and Yunaika Crawford Rogert of Cuba.
Meanwhile, Sabah Athletics Association president Mohamat Hassan said hosting the championships and the coaching clinic would have a huge impact on athletics in the state.
“I want to thank the MAF for trusting us to organise the SEA Youth Championships.
“This is the second international athletics meet to have ever been hosted in Sabah and the impact will be huge.
“It will boost the grassroots development of the sport in Sabah, and give state athletes a chance to compete with international athletes.
“While on the coaching side, the clinic will help elevate the level of our coaches in the state, which will impact the quality of athletes that we produce in the future,” he said.
Alfaro and Crawford both have an impressive pedigree.
Alfaro is no stranger to Malaysian athletics, having coached here from 2008 to 2012, and he was in charge of high jumper Lee Hup Wei at the 2012 London Olympics.
Crawford had won bronze in the hammer throw at the 2004 Athens Olympics and coached Cuban athlete, the late Alegna Osorio Mayari, to a bronze at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Osorio died in 2021 after being hit in the head with a hammer in a freak accident during training.
“It is very important to see what is the line for the best result in track and field,” said Alfaro.
“Yunaika and I have the opportunity to give support to the local coaches and share with them our experience.
“Right now in Malaysia, you are thinking about one to two years ahead. But we are thinking about the next four years for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It is important to look for talents, and if 100 coaches in Sabah (each) have one champion, that is 100 stars of the future.”
The clinic will be held at the Ranau Stadium and is open to all coaches from Sabah, with a maximum of 100 participants allowed. – May 25, 2024