I’ve always been an admirer of Malaysian hurdling. From Nur Herman Majid, Hassan Robani, Moh Siew Wei and Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian, Malaysians have figured consistently amongst Southeast Asia’s elite sprint hurdlers. For a Filipino hurdler, their combined hurdling curricula is awe-inspiring. Hence. I’ve often wondered about the secret to success of our Southeast Asian neighbors.
The Indonesian dug deep in the last 50m of the final leg, overcoming a sizable lead by Singapore to wrest the gold. Tasting victory, the Indonesian dove like Greg Louganis to win the race by one-hundredth of a second.
The Malaysian anchor hurdling his Indonesian counterpart (Video grab from Singapore Athletics)
While watching the highly-entertaining, closely fought race, the sight of the Malaysian anchor man hurdling the fallen Indonesian last runner brought forth expressions of awe! A collision between sprinters would surely have dire consequences. Thanks to the Malaysian’s quick reaction – and suave, impromptu hurdling – disaster was averted.
My hand-timed 14.9s in the 110m high hurdles (and my automatically-timed 15.52s) don’t stand for peanuts in the world scene. In the Philippines, these are modestly respectable times, but once I step out of my comfort zone, a slew of sub-15 and sub-14 hurdlers abound. Hence, I’ve often wondered what it feels like to run 14 seconds or 13 seconds. I’m not even talking about the crazy fast times of Liu Xiang 刘翔 and Dayron Robles (although in my constant day dreams I compete with those guys head-to-head!). In a sense, watching Southeast Asian-level or mid-tier elite athletes paint an achievable picture.
During last summer’s Philippine National Open, Malaysia’s Wan Sofian Rayzam Shah ran practically unopposed, notching an easy low-14 second win. I was awestruck at his sheer speed in between hurdles. He clears the hurdle with little wasted motion. With a personal best of 13.91s, no Filipino hurdler can match up with the 2007 SEA Games gold medalist.
For some reason, I was unable to find the 2007 SEA Games hurdles video. The next best thing was the 2010 MAAU video uploaded by Jad Adrian, a Malaysian sprinter. From the vantage point of the computer screen, Rayzam didn’t seem as fast. His hurdle clearance and arm-action are top notch, but he seems to float over the hurdles. And his lead leg seems to lock in midair. Rayzam stopped the clock at 14.19s, two-hundredths of a second off his personal best.
In the video suggestions tab in Youtube, I saw a hurdles clip from the 2009 Francophone Games. I clicked the thumbnail, and witnessed the Canadian hurdler Jared MacLeod outclass the competition with a 13.56s clocking. It was more than half-a-second better than Rayzam’s time. That being a mid-13 performance, the difference in speed and rhythm was evident. MacLeod was actually sprinting in between barriers, with nary a pause with each hurdle clearance. But still, he lacks the visible lead leg and trail leg snap and the saber-like lead arm of Liu.
Although I absolutely love watching the cream of the crop of the sprint hurdles compete, I’m also fascinated by the less popular athletes. Watching the likes of Rayzam and MacLeod removes the mystic aura so strong amongst the hurdling elite. They may not be in the same level as Liu, Robles and David Oliver, but for this 15-second hurdler, I look to Rayzam and Macleod with much envy!
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