The Commonwealth Games: Stubborn Noraseela
March 24:
NORASEELA MOHD KHALID was more afraid of the reaction of her personal coach Idriss Gonschinska, who took a 28-hour flight from Leipzig, Germany, to support her in the Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles final than the fact she finished sixth.
Her time of 56.89s was a far cry from her national record of 56.39s, which if she had come even remotely close too, would have seen her beat the qualifying mark of 56.56s for the Doha Asian Games.
Instead, she was left to rue the missed chance of setting a national record while running with such world class athletes as Jana Pittman of Australia and England’s Natasha Danvers.
“It was my mistake. I didn’t listen to the advice of my coach and this is the consequence,” said Noraseela.
“He flew all the way to Melbourne and gave me instructions on how I should tackle the final but I ignored :rolleyes: them as I’m a stubborn person.
“It is very disappointing and ‘I’m afraid to meet my coach right now.”
Jana won the race in Games record of 53.82s, followed by Natasha (55.17s) and Scotland’s Lee McDonnell ( 55.25s)
Noraseela will stay in Melbourne for the next three to four weeks as the rest of her training partners from Leipzig will setup camp here.
Moh Siew Wei, meanwhile, failed miserably in the women’s 100m hurdles when she failed to qualify from her heats after finishing fifth.
The SEA Games champion, who has attracted many admiring glances, timed 13.62s, 0.28s behind Cyprus’ Evmorfia Baourda, who qualified for today’s final.
Siew Wei has a personal best of 13.27s but the qualifying mark for the Asian Games is 13.19s
Pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu helped lift the gloom in the Malaysian athletics camp when she qualified for the final after clearing 4m.
Malaysia stayed on course to sweep the men’s badminton medals when Lee Chong Wei and Wong Choong Hann both reached today’s singles quarter-finals while Choong Hann-Choong Tan Fook and Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat did like wise in the doubles.
Former SEA Games champion Wong Mew Choo continued her great run in the women’s singles but it was the end of the road for Julia Wong.
In the women’s doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui and the mixed-doubles pairing of Pei Tty-Kien Keat are also through to the last eight.