KUALA LUMPUR — Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli’s sensational run at the Perlis Open Athletics Championship today has not only earned her a gold medal but also secured her place in history by breaking the 31-year-old national women’s 100m record.
At 31, many had speculated that Zaidatul’s career was nearing its end.
However, with an outstanding time of 11.49 sec, she surpassed G. Shanti’s long-standing record of 11.50 sec, proving her critics wrong and reaffirming her status as Malaysia’s top female sprinter.
This victory is especially meaningful for Zaidatul, who had previously come close to breaking the record, only to fall short.
In March 2017, she recorded a time of 11.36 sec at the AGN League 7 Athletics Championship in Pretoria, South Africa.
However, that attempt was not officially recognised due to wind assistance of 2.5m/s, as ruled by the judges.
“I feel emotional and a bit overwhelmed because so many people have helped me prepare for this race.
“It’s not easy to break a national record, and I’ve waited a long time for this moment.
“I had done it before in South Africa, but the result wasn’t recognised. Today, I finally succeeded,” said Zaidatul moments after being crowned champion.
In the race, Nur Afrina Batrisyia Rizal took the silver medal with a time of 11.91 sec, while Azreen Nabila Alias clinched third place, clocking 12 sec. — October 12, 2024