Khairul is the man to beat in 100m, says Thailand's top sprinter
Published on: Wednesday, August 16, 2017
BANGKOK: Thailand's top sprinter Jirapong Meenapra "Milk" admitted that Malaysian sprint ace Khairul Hafiz Jantan's recent blistering form has made him the best sprinter in the region right now and the man to beat in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, especially in the 100m and 200m.According to him, the Malaysian's recent exploits has also made the Melaka-born sprinter among the best in Asia, putting him head and shoulders above other regional sprinters."Khairul Hafiz Jantan is the best in South East Asia at the moment. With his personal best in 100m and 200m, he is also among the best in Asia," he said when met after training at the Thammasat University-Rangsit, near the capital city, here recently.
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The "The Speedy Jantan" as the 18 year-old Malaysian sprinter is called, holds the national record for 100m and 200m after setting 10.18s and 20.90s last year and last month, respectively. Jirapong said, he competed against Khairul Hafiz during the Thailand Open in Bangkok a few months ago where the Malaysian sprinter came out victorious, but warned observers not to read too much into the result as he was not 100 percent fit and nursing an injury during the race."I was nursing an injury during that race and overall my fitness was between 70 to 80 percent at that time. Now is different as I am 100 percent fit and ready to reach my peak in the KL SEA Games," said the Thai sprinter, who is a post graduate student at the Bangkok University.
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Jirapong, 24, who was the toast of Thailand's athletic fans when he bagged the 100m and 200m during the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, has set a modest target during the KL SEA Games which will begin officially on Aug 19."My target is a podium finish in both the 100m and 200m during the SEA Games," said the Surat Thani native, who disappointed his countrymen when he could only manage fifth spot in the 100m and bronze in the 200m during the Singapore SEA Games two years ago.
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The result two years ago left him deeply disappointed as many people in Thailand had placed high expectations on him to successfully defend the nation's double gold medal feat in men's sprint events in Myanmar.For the KL SEA Games, the friendly and affable Thai sprinter has taken a different approach in his preparations by reducing the pressure as it will serve him better in the competition."This time around, I and other coaches have set my training schedule without exerting much pressure on me. I think this type of training is better and I don't feel any pressure going to Kuala Lumpur. I just want to enjoy myself," he said.He is confident that he will perform better and clock better times when he was not burdened with too much pressure and expectations.The Thai sprinter has set a target of clocking 10.30s in the 100m and 20.80s for the 200m in Kuala Lumpur, enough to bring him medals in Kuala Lumpur. Besides Khairul Hafiz, other regional sprinters such as Bobby Yaspi and Iswandi from Indonesia as well as Le Truong Vinh from Vietnam have also clocked good times in the 100m and 200m, and will be contenders to be crowned KL SEA Games' sprint king, he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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