National coach Mohd Manshahar believes young sprinter Danish Iftikhar could cause an upset in his SEA Games debut, citing his impressive 10.26s personal best.
KUALA LUMPUR: National athletics head coach Mohd Manshahar Abdul Jalil believes young sprinter Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee could spring a surprise in his SEA Games debut.
The 2024 Malaysia Games sprint champion is considered capable of finishing on the podium in the blue-riband event at next month’s Thailand games.
“Based on current rankings, Danish Iftikhar is among the top three,” Mohd Manshahar said after meeting with the 2025 SEA Games chef de mission yesterday.
“Nothing is impossible because athletics is unpredictable.”
The coach noted that expected medal winners sometimes fail to deliver at the SEA Games, particularly in sprint events.
Danish Iftikhar clocked a personal best of 10.26 seconds when winning the men’s 100m gold at the Malaysia Open in Kangar last August.
That time not only secured the 18-year-old a SEA Games slot but was faster than the 10.37s winning time at the previous edition in Phnom Penh.
Mohd Manshahar identified Thailand’s Puripol Boonson and Indonesia’s Lalu Muhammad Zohri as the main 100m contenders.
Puripol is the region’s fastest man this year with 10.15s recorded in China last May.
Lalu Muhammad Zohri clocked 10.21s at a meet in Japan last month.
The 2025 SEA Games will run from December 9 to 20 across Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla provinces. – Bernama
