Maizurah Abdul Rahim during a training session at the Air Force Track Club in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week. Picture: Courtesy of Maizurah Abdul Rahim
MAIZURAH Abdul Rahim is eager to get on the tracks of the Olympic Stadium for the women’s 200m event today (8.35pm onwards Brunei time).
The 17-year-old will not only become the second female Bruneian Olympian — with Maziah Mahusin the first four years ago in London — but is also the youngest from the sultanate to compete at the quadrennial Games. “I don’t have any pressure on me. I can’t wait to step on the tracks and compete against the world class athletes like what I’ve been dreaming of for years,” said Maizurah in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
“I’ve not completely adjusted to this cold weather conditions yet but I’m forcing myself to be ready,” she added.
“Training has been okay here in Rio. I feel really eager for this coming event because during training I can see and observe the world class athletes preparing for their respective events,” continued the Belait native.
Maizurah, who idolises American Allyson Felix and Jamaican Yohan Blake, believes that this experience at the Olympics will only help her become better. “With the experience here, hopefully it will motivate me to go further and become stronger,” said Maizurah. “I’ll be eyeing to break national records in other events that I target after this Olympics as well,” she added.
Maizurah, who was a recipient of the Olympic Scholarship awarded by the International Olympic Council (IOC) through the Olympic Solidarity Programme in November, last competed at the 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championships 2016 in Vietnam in June where she clocked a time of 28.24s.
She had previously said that she is targeting a new personal best in her event at the Games. Her best time for the 200m event is 27.85s which she managed at the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) Philippine Open in April.
On the other hand, the national record for the event is 25.22s clocked by Alinawati Ali Bakar at the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.