SHEREEN RACING AGAINST TIME TO RECOVER FOR SEA GAMES TITLE DEFENCE

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- National women’s 400m runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy is racing against time to recover from a hamstring injury as she aims to compete at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand next month.

Shereen, who is slated for four events, said her recovery from the left-leg hamstring strain she sustained recently has been encouraging.

“I actually had a hamstring strain two weeks ago when I was practicing in the 4x100m relay. Two days ago, I managed to start jogging.

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“I think only time will tell, but so far I can see good progress right there,” she said after SEA Games 2025 Chef-de-Mission, Nurul Huda Abdullah, met with the track and field squad bound for the biennial games here yesterday. 

Apart from women’s 400m and 4x100m, the 27-year-old will also feature in the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events.

In the meantime, Shereen said she will not underestimate the challenge from Thai and Vietnamese athletes, who are expected to pose strong threats to her bid to defend the women’s 400m gold medal.

Shereen, the national record holder with a 51.79s mark set two years ago, clocked a season-best 53.66s in a meet in Florida, United States, in April.

The Ipoh-born runner claimed the women’s 400m gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, with a time of 52.53s.

Her biggest hurdle at the next SEA Games is likely to be Thailand’s Josephine Chinenye Onuorah, the Southeast Asian leader this year with a sharp 52.70s recorded in the US.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc is also shaping up as a serious contender after running 53.12s at the Asian Championships in May, followed by Thailand’s Benny Nontanam with 53.15s and another Vietnamese runner, Le Thi Tuyet Mai, who clocked 53.37s.

The 2025 SEA Games will be held from Dec 9 to 20 across three provinces: Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla.

-- BERNAMA