KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s athlete Shereen Samson Vallabouy reached new heights in her career as she broke her own national record in the 400m at the Music City Track Carnival Championships in Tennessee, United States, yesterday.
Competing at Dean A. Hayes Stadium in Murfreesboro, Shereen finished second with a time of 51.79 seconds, as per the tournament website.
This performance surpasses her previous record of 51.80 seconds, set at the 63rd Mt SAC Relays Annual Athletics Championship in California last year.
Jamaican athlete Leah Anderson clinched the gold with a time of 51.67 seconds, while the bronze went to home athlete Na’asha Robinson, who clocked 51.82 seconds.
However, Shereen is not out of the woods yet if she wishes to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in July, as the 26-year-old athlete would need to clock at least 50.95 seconds.
The Malaysia Athletics Federation selection committee has until July 8 to submit the names of either Shereen or Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi to the Olympic Council of Malaysia if they are unable to qualify on merit.
Azeem, the national 100m record holder with a time of 10.09 seconds, set his season’s best at 10.24 seconds at the LSU Invitational Athletics Championships in Los Angeles on April 27 – still short of the 10-second mark needed to qualify for Paris. – June 2, 2024