KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — National high jumper Mohamad Eizlan Dahalan can hold his head high for the emerging champion at the National Indoor Athletics Championships at Stadium Mini MSN Bukit Jalil here today.
However, the achievement of the 23-year-old born in Tawau, Sabah with a jump of 2.05 metres to win the gold medal at the meet was a far cry from his personal best of 2.18m when he won bronze at the SEA Games in Vietnam last year.
The height unsettled the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student, ahead of the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia in May.
When met by reporters, Mohamad Eizlan admitted that the absence of a permanent coach to guide him in Sabah hindered him from performing his best to better his personal record.
“I am indeed in the Podium Programme, but because I study at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, there is no permanent coach there (in Sabah). It is a bit of a struggle to do training on my own, that’s why I feel that a trainer is very important to guide me.
“When I was in Kuala Lumpur, former national high jump champion Lee Hup Wei would coach me, he (Hup Wei) also guided me during the preparations for the Vietnam SEA Games,” he said.
Mohamad Eizlan said he will only undergo full-time training with a coach in Kuala Lumpur starting next month after his studies in the fourth semester of his Bachelor of Social Sciences (Anthropology and Sociology) course ends on February 20.
Mohamad Eizlan, who is in the Podium Programme under the National Sports Council (MSN), is now in category B for the biennial Games (the SEA Games).
However, he has the opportunity to grab a category A qualification slot if he participates in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory All Comers Athletics Championship next week and jumps over 2.10m to qualify on merit for the Games in Phnom Penh.
Mohamad Eizlan, however, said he has not yet decided whether he will participate in the tournament or otherwise.
In today’s competition, his teammate Farell Glen Felix Jurus finished second after recording a jump of 2m while Johor athlete Norshafiee Mohd Shah, who also recorded 2m, was third (on countback).
Expenses for Category A athletes are fully borne by MSN while for Category B have to be paid for by their respective sports associations but will be reimbursed if they win medals.
— Bernama
