National runner Maziah Mahusin
in action during her 400m heat
at the London Olympics yesterday.
Picture:Infofoto

Brunei's first female Olympian 'breaks n'atl mark', sets personal best

Maziah Mahusin has plenty to be proud about after Brunei's first female Olympian justified her place in London with a record-breaking run yesterday.

Brunei's new athletics darling clocked 59.28 seconds in the 400m heats her first ever sub-60 seconds in the event at the London Olympics, and though it was hardly near the qualifying time of 52.31s set by the last runner to enter the semis Namibia's Tjipekapora Herunga it was still a job well done since she broke her previous best of 1:00.32.

It is also understood that her time at a wet Olympic Stadium is a new national record, although the exact time could not be verified as of Press time.

Running in Lane 8, Maziah who had just only recovered from a bout of flu and cough had a good start but was unable to keep up after 200m, eventually finishing last and more than eight seconds behind Jamaican winner Novlene Williams-Mills (50.88 seconds).

But that and the fact she ended 41st in the field of 45 finishers was irrelevant to Maziah, whose aim at the London Games was to always better her previous best which she set at last month's 19th Open International Athletics Tournament in Vietnam.

"I'm really happy! Really excited!," gushed the 19-year-old rising sensation

"I broke the national record and I didn't expect that at all because I haven't been training for three days (because of the flu and cough)

"The old record was 59.60 or something like that.

"As for the wet track ... That wasn't a problem at all," she added

Though she had previously led the country out at last Friday's opening ceremony as the proud flag-bearer, Maziah admitted that the imposing Olympic Stadium which AFP reported had a packed and vocal crowd of 80,000 still gave her butterflies.

But despite the intense atmosphere, Maziah was able to focus on the job at hand showcasing mental fortitude which, sadly, is not a characteristic many other national athletes can claim to share.

"It was a huge crowd and I was really nervous," she said.

"But I just thought positive and relaxed myself ... Told myself I had to do well," insisted the now household name.

Her record-breaking feat and that of Anderson Lim Chee Wei on Sunday proves that the national selectors have done their job in choosing this year's Olympians.

Brunei's first Olympic swimmer, Lim set a new record in the 200-metre freestyle on Sunday when he clocked 2:02.26 the 16-year-old comfortably breaking his previous best, which happens to be the national record, of 2:05.19

Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Pg Rositi will compete in the 400m heats at around 5.50pm today (Brunei time), the last event that any of the country's three athletes will compete in at the Games.

His personal best is 49.23 seconds, and the pressure is on for him to follow in the footsteps of Maziah and Lim.

The 21-year-old runner set the record at the 2012 Taiwan Open Athletics Championships in May.

Courtesy from Brunei Times