Mohd Yazid Yatimi Yusof (R), with spouse Pg Anak Mas Sofaizzah Pg Anak Haji Hashim, at the Brunei International Airport on his truimphant return from the 13th Malaysia Games (Sukma). Picture: BT/Saifulizam

There are certainly more to come from Md Yazid Yatimi Yusof who, in the words of the national athletics coach, has yet to peak.

For national athletics coach Dario de Rosas, gold in the 13th Malaysia Games (Sukma) is only the beginning for Md Yazid.

"As an experienced coach, we have what is called as the 'coaching eye'. We are able to see what ordinary people can't," said de Rosas, who had taken Md Yazid under his wings since 2006.

"As his coach, I can give him an idea of what to expect. Young athletes nowadays have expectations far below their actual capability," he added.

Athletics coach Dario de Rosas
speaks to The Brunei Times on
Md Yazid's potential.
Picture: BT File

De Rosas believes his charge is able to do much better, for his feats now do not reflect his true capabilities.

"Yazid has the potential to throw far. His performance is being hindered by the knee injury. I believe in the discus throw event, he can throw between 50 to 60m while for shot put, around 16 to 17m," said de Rosas.

To put this into perspective, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games record for discus throw stands at 59.50m. The record is held by Singapore's Wong Tuck Yim at the 1999 SEA Games in the Sultanate.

Chatchawal Polyiam of Thailand broke the Games record for shot put last year in Vientiane, throwing 17.59m.

Even though Md Yazid suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to his right knee, he managed to record 42.87m in his fourth attempt of the discus throw event in Melaka to claim gold. He also notched bronze when he threw 13.61m in the shot put event.

In the middle of this month the 23-year-old hopes to undergo surgery at the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre to fix the problem, picked up during the 2008 National Sports Festival (PSK).

During the recuperation period which could take up to a year, Md Yazid risks missing two international tournaments: the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in India and the 16th Asian games in Guangzhou, China.

De Rosas however is not bothered with the fact that his disciple would lose focus in that time, singling out Md Yazid's attitude towards training as a factor.

"The thing about Yazid is that he's a dedicated and hardworking man. He has his own goal and that is very important for an athlete to possess," said de Rosas.

Md Yazid aims to compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2008 the athlete had already been denied of the grandest stage due to the knee injury, which he was quoted saying "the biggest disappointment of my life".

"He's very coachable. Some athletes at his level which have enough experience under their belt, have the tendency to neglect the advice of their coach and do things their own way. That is wrong because as they progress, the athlete and coach need to work closer together. The coach knows better as he is the one who observes whether the technique is right," de Rosas added.

What else does Md Yazid need to improve besides discipline and stay injury-free?

"There are two things. First is the number of competitions per year. An athlete needs between 15 to 20 competitions per year to mature, this is according to scientific research. The second is for Md Yazid to compete at his own level," said de Rosas.

Courtesy from Brunei Times