KUALA LUMPUR: Johor hurdler Hazriq Cik Mat Kilau, who was named the best male athlete in the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Athletics Championships in Seremban early this week, will get a shot at the world.
The Form Five student of Tun Hussein Onn Sports School, Kluang, has qualified for the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. next year after his blistering run.
The qualifying mark for Lima is 14.20s, and Hazriq surpassed that with a 13.46 run in the boys' Under-18 110m hurdles in the semi-finals, erasing the 2018 record of 13.73 set by Perak's Irfan Izzan Fetry.
He won the final by clocking 13.51. His time was also better than the Asian Schools Games record of 13.66 set by Malaysia's Aftar Rosli in 2019.
Hazriq, who comes from an athletic family, his elder sister Nur Shaqirah won last year's Malaysia Games 100m hurdles bronze, has been training for the last three years under coach Mustapa Kamal in Kluang.
Though he proved to be the best at the MSSM, Hazriq is not resting on his laurels.
"I'm not satisfied with my performance though I broke the MSSM and also the Asian School Games records.
"I did not push myself really hard in the MSSM. I believe that I can still clock a much faster time."
Hazriq, who bagged a Malaysia Games bronze by clocking 14.85 last year, will compete in the Asian School Games in Vietnam next month where he aims to do 13.30.
Terengganu's Izzatul Musfirah Ahmad Kamal Azirz was named the best female athlete after she won five gold in the Under-15: the 100m, 200m, 200m hurdles, 4x100m and 4x400m, and set three MSSM records in the 200m, 200m hurdles and 4x400m.
