KUALA LUMPUR: Sea Games 400m gold medallist Umar Osman will make his debut in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from Sept 13-21 as a wild card.
No Malaysian athlete has qualified on merit for the World Championships.
National chief coach Manshahar Abdul Jalil said that World Athletics (WA) had given Malaysia a wild card slot for the men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m events.
“Malaysia Athletics (MA) had a meeting yesterday and had decided to name Umar as the wild card following his good performances in competitions this year.
“He did well at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, by clocking a season best of 46.25 in the final in May.”
The 22-year-old from Johor, who holds the national 400m record of 46.09, said it is a dream come true for him to take part in the World Championships.
“I am really happy that I will compete against the world’s best athletes in Tokyo. I thank MA for giving me the wild card. I promise to give my best in Tokyo,” he said.
Shereen Samson Vallaybouy, who holds the women’s 400m national record of 51.79, was named as the wild card in April for the women’s 400m at the World Championships.
But the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist was later dropped after clocking a poor time of 54.80 in the heats and failing to qualify for the final at the Asian Championships.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
