KUALA LUMPUR: National athletics coach, Mohd Poad Md Kassim who has been credited with nurturing a new generation of record breaking sprinters such as Khairul Hafiz Jantan and Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap is reported to be warded for treatment at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital on Johor Bahru, Johor.
It is rumoured that the 48-year-old coach is suffering from a lung infection and he has been hospitalized for the past two days to undergo treatment.
“Cikgu Poad has been warded at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru for the past two days already,” said Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) principal Suhaimi Sun Abdullah.
“He is currently undergoing treatment and the doctor treating him has advised him to be warded for the necessary treatment. Insya-Allah hopefully it is nothing serious. I pray that he makes a full, speedy recovery with no complications whatsoever because we have a lot of challenges to shoulder next year,” said Suhaimi when contacted earlier today.
Referring to Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap and Asnawi Hashim’s posts on popular social media website Facebook, along with Khairul Hafiz’s Instagram account, the three athletes asked for members of the public to pray for their coach’s speedy recovery.
“Assalamualaikum, please pray for my coach (Poad) so that he is protected and given recovery back to good health as before … today the doctor will put him in a medically induced coma because of bacteria spreading in his lungs which is worsening … Hopefully with all your prayers answered by Allah S.W.T., Amin,” read the posting.
For the record, Poad is a teacher who hails from Chabau, Jasin in Melaka, who holds a degree in physical education from the Open University of Malaysia (OUM).
Among his notable achievements are unearthing and nurturing 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games 100m gold medalist, Khairul Hafiz Jantan.
Poad helped to nurture and mold ‘The Speedy Jantan’ into the blisteringly fast sprinter that he is today to end a 14-year gold draught in the blue ribbon event when the youngster clocked 10.38s to win the gold, thus defeating defending champion Eric Shauwn Cray of the Philippines who clocked 10.43s and Thailand’s Kritsada Namsuwun (10.43s).
Poad also helped Khairul Hafiz to break the 49-year-old national 200m record at this year’s Malaysia Open Athletics Championship on July 18 with a time of 20.90s to eclipse to long-standing record of 20.92s set by legendary former sprinter, Tan Sri Dr. M. Jegathesan at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games.
Apart from Khairul Hafiz, other athletes under his charge are Badrul Hisyam who once broke the national 100m record at the Asean Schools Games (ASG) held in Brunei in 2015 before the run and ensuing record were not recognised.
