ATHLETICS
By Tony Mariadass
What next for the experienced
coaches?
The Malaysian Athletics Federation
(MAF) have taken the bold move to remove old and experienced athletics coaches
in their revamp of the coaching set up in preparation for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur
Sea Games.
While the appointment of Bukit Jalil
Sports School and sports commentator, Zainal Abas as head coach for the Sea
Games athletics programme came as a surprise, but it was generally a welcome
move by the athletics fraternity.
But in MAF’s process to revamp their
coaching staff some of the experienced coaches have been left out.
And among them are V. Subramaniam, S.
Jayabalan, S. Muthiah, A. Tripadi whose contracts with the National Sports
Council (NSC) were not renewed at the end of August while another two Yu Fang
and Jagjit Singh will see their contracts ending at the end of December.
MAF president Datuk Karim Ibrahim
confirmed the non-renewal of the six coaches and said new coaches have already
been identified, discussed at the joint meeting with NSC and contracts offered
for a two-year term under the KL SEA Games project in collaboration with NSC.
“The coaches performance especially
at the Singapore Sea Games was reviewed including their Key Performance Index
(KPI) and decided that we need to make changes and fresh faces were needed,”
said Karim.
“Some of these coaches have been in
the system from a minimum of five years to 20 years. When results are not
forthcoming, then drastic measures have to been taken. It may not be a popular
decision, but sometimes we have to put our sentiments will have to be put aside
and think professionally with the future in mind.”
When asked what will happen to these
coaches who are very experienced, produced top athletes and even won medals for
the nation themselves with the likes of walkers Subramaniam, Yu Fang and
Jagjit, middle distance runner Muthiah while Tripadi and Jayabalan have
nurtured many athletes to become champions, Karim said MAF will assist them.
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| Jayabalan |
“There was one coach who wanted to
return to his state and coach in the state programme and we made strong
recommendations. Any others left out who want to join their states programmes,
we will assist.
“Besides these coaches if they return
to their states and can develop champions for the future, we will consider them
back again.
“Anyway case, even the current
coaches have KPIs and if they do not perform they will be replaced.”
Asked why MAF did not use these
vastly experienced coaches m for their own development programme, Karim said
that some of the coaches wanted to retire while other had their own plans.
But one coach – Subramaniam - who had requested an extension of his
contract for another three months to NSC and MAF did not get any response.
Subramaniam to earn some income is
now running a food stall at a foodcourt in Ampang.
Indeed a sad scene for Subramaniam
who has won six
gold medals and five silvers in five Sea
Games, qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics Games, but had to skip it because
of the boycott by Malaysia, in 1978 Bangkok Asian Games won the silver medal
and 1982 Games finishing fourth and two bronze medals from the Asian Track and
Field in 1979 and 1981 and named Selangor Sportsman for two consecutive years –
1978 and 1979 – and was also named the National Sportsman of the Year in 1978.
In the meantime new coaches have been
appointed and awaiting their contracts from NSC.
The team of coaches is headed by
Bukit Jalil Sports School teacher and sports commentator, Zainal Abas, who has
eleven coaches under him.
Among them include four foreigners –
Gu Yuan, Franstisek Petrovic, Victor Sotnikov and Alim Akhmejanov, who have
been coaching in Malaysia for some time now.
Among the fresh faces are former 800m
champion Josephine Mary, who represented the nation in six Sea Games (1983 –
1993), three Asian Track and Field (ATF) championships (1987-1991) and two
Asian Games 1986-1990) and still holds the 800m national record set at the
Seoul Asian Games in 1986 where she won the bronze medal in a time of 2:07.44.
Others include former national walker
Lim Teoh Boon and 400m runner Hamberi Mahat.
MAF is also waiting NSC approval to
hire a Jamacian, Leo Almando Brown for sprints and hurdles and Kenyan Samuel
Kipsang Rono for middle and long distance.
“Both are highly qualified coaches
MAF had shortlisted after vetting many foreign applications. They came with the
recommendation of their respective nation’s athletics federation’s presidents,”
said Karim.
Leo has
trained top class athletes in Jamaica and also coached in the Caribbean
Islands, Canada, Mexico, North America and European countries.
Kipsang Rono who has been training
the Kenyan national athletes since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Games.
“We are embarking on revamped path to
bring results starting with the Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur, we hope everyone
understands that and supports us.
“We cannot just be continuing with
our old ways. We have to make changes if things are not going right.”
MAF have also named 57 athletes – 24 men and 23 women – for the KL SEA
Games first phase from Sept 2015 to Sept 2016.
Forty-six gold medals were up for
grabs in track and field events in Singapore, but Malaysia only returned with
three golds, two silvers and nine bronzes.
All three golds came in the
men’s field events – high jump (Nauraj Singh Randhawa), discus (Mohd Irfan
Shamsuddin) and triple jump (Muhammad Hakimi Ismail - in new Games
record).
It was Malaysia’s worst-ever
performance in the history of the Games.
At the 2013 Myanmar
SEA Games, Malaysia won four gold medals.
2017 Sea Games Athletics Project (1st
phase Sept 2015 – Sept 2016)
Head coach: Zainal Abas
Coaches:
1.
Gu Yuan (hammer throw )2. Frantisek Petrovic (discus)
3. Victor Petrovic (triple jump) 4. Alim Akhmejanov (high jump) 5. Hamberi
Mahat (400m men/relay) 6. Entheran Subramaniam (middle/long distance)) 6. Teh
Weng Chang (pole vault) 7. Shahadan Jamaluddin (hurdles) 8. Balamurugan Maniam
(short sprints) 9. Josephine Mary Singarayar (400m women/relay) 10. Lim Teoh
Boon (walk)
ATHLETES (men)
1.
Adi Aliffuddin Hussin 2. Ahmad Luth
Hamizan 3. G Aravin Thevarr 4. Abdrul Hisyam Abdul Manap 5. K. Dinesh 6. Harith
Ammar Mohd Sobri 7. Iskandar Alwi 8. Jackei Wong Siew Cheer 9. Johathan Nyepa
10 M. Kesavan 11. Mohamad Arif Zulhilmi Alet 12. Mohamad Shamrin Mohd Aris 13.
Mohd Izzuddin Yahaya 14. Mohd Shamimi Azmi 15. Muhaad Firdaus Musa 16. Muhammad
Azam Masri 17. Muhammad Hakimi Ismail 18. Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin 19.
Muhammad Khairul Harith Harun 20. Muhammed Ashraff Saiou Rahman 21. Muhd Ajmal
Aiman Mat Hassan 22. Nauraj Singh Randhawa 23. Nixson Kennedy 24. Rayzam Shah
Wan Sofian 25 Russel Alexander Nasir Taib
(Women)
1.
Bibi Nuraishah Ishak 2. Chuah Yu Tian
3. Elena Goh Ling Yin 4. Fatin Faqihah Mohd Yusof 5. Grace Wong Xiu Mei 6.
Kirthana Ramasamy 7. Komalam Shally Selvaretnam 8. Ku Munirah Ku Zamzuri 9.
Noor Amira Mohamad Nafiah 10. Nor Shahidatun Nadia Mohd Zuki 11. Norris Foo 12.
Nur Fatin Abidah Suharman 13. Nurfazira Jalaludin 14. Nurul Faizah Asma Mazlan
15. Raja Nursheena Raja Azhar 16. Saidatul Izzati Suhaimi 17. Savinder Kau
Joginder Singh 18. Shereen Samson Vallabouy 19. Siti Fatima Mohamad 20 Yap Jeng
Tzan 21. Yap Sean Yee 22. Zaimah Atifah Zainuddin
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