Kota Kinabalu: National athlete Shereen Samson Vallabouy created a sensation in the 400m event at the Division 2 Indoor Track and Field Championship in Pittsburg, Kansas, USA, last weekend, according to reports.
Shereen’s participation representing Winona State University in Minnesota saw her win the event with a record of 53.79 seconds, creating a new personal record and a new national record at the tournament.
The previous record for this event was 54.58s set by Noraseela Mohd Khalid in 2006.
The tournament is organised annually in the US by the National College Athletics Association (NCAA) and Shereen who emerged the first Malaysian athlete to record a run under 54s represented Winona.
Shereen, 23, is the daughter of former national medium-distance running star Samson Vallabouy and former national and Olympic runner Josephine Mary.
Shereen's success also attracted the attention of Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu who congratulated her in a post on her Facebook account.