Runner Wan Fazri eyes 40-year-old national record
B. Rajkumar set the four-decade-old mark of 1:47.37 at the 1985 Asian Championships in Jakarta.
Wan Fazri, who had just completed his degree in sports science at Universiti Malaya, came close to rewriting Rajkumar's record with a personal best of 1:47.64 at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea in May.
The 23-year-old Kelantan middle distance runner said it would be a dream come true if he breaks one of the oldest national records in athletics.
"I came very close to breaking it in the Asian Championships, and the time (1:47.64) was the second fastest ever recorded by a Malaysian in a competition.
"I will try to break the national record at the World Athletics Tour in Odisha, India, on Aug 10.
"I will be competing against some of the top Asian runners there, and this will help me to clock a good time," he said.
At the recent World University Games in Germany, Wan Fazri clocked 1:49.53 in the heats and 1:49.87 in the semi-finals.
Wan Fazri, who has been training under Jironi Ridzuan for the last two years, said he couldn't run a good time in Germany due to lack of rest.
Eight other national athletes will also compete in Odisha. They are Azeem Fahmi (100m), Danish Iftikhar Roslee (100m), Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam (200m), Sayyid Amin Roslan (200m), Tan Zhi Hang (long jump), Andre Anura Anuar (triple jump), Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (100m) and Nur Aishah Rofina Aling (100m).
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