KUCHING: Johor track athlete Nurkhaleesa Yasmin Awang is set on treating her family to a vacation, fresh off her long jump golden finish at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) here today.
With the long jump done and dusted, the 20-year-old from Kulai now has her eyes trained on the triple jump gold, to be contested on Thursday.
“I want to use the RM20,000 reward to take my family on a holiday. I want them to share in this achievement and be happy.
“We’ve faced many struggles. My family sacrificed a lot to support me, and my goal is to make sure they don’t have to worry when I start university,” she said.
Nurkhaleesa, known as Kelly, set a personal best of 5.76 metres (m) on her final attempt today, winning gold and surpassing her personal best of 5.63m.
Kelantan’s Alia Batrisya Nasaruddin took silver with a 5.73m leap, and Sarawak’s Maritza Ferrer Neil Armstrong settled for the bronze with a jump of 5.61m.
Johor, aiming to defend their 2022 edition overall title, is offering RM10,000 for individual gold medallists and RM20,000 for team events in this 21st edition of the Games.
Nurkhaleesa admitted she had thought about quitting athletics due to past injuries and disappointing performances in the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) competitions. Despite these challenges, she remained focused, inspired by her family’s support.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 10,000m event, Kristian Tung from the Federal Territories claimed gold with a time of 33 minutes and 48.049 seconds.
Perak’s Muhammad Farooq Muhammad Zubair Kanan finished second with a time of 33:56.008s, followed closely by Sabah’s Nikos Tai Lee Onn, who clocked 33:56.010s.
