High jumper Nauraj Singh bagged the gold medal in the CAS International Meet held at the Stade Jean-Jacoby in Schifflange, Luxembourg, earlier today.
His leap of 2.18m was enough for the national athlete, who hails from Johor, to win the top spot, although it was far from his personal best and national record of 2.30m.
But it was his performance at a recent Level 1 Coaching Course organised by the Perak Athletics Association (Perak AA) that turned heads. Held on Aug 4, the course was endorsed by World Athletics, and Malaysia Athletics Federation.
Perak AA president Datuk Karim Ibrahim said Nauraj aced the online course, with World Athletics senior lecturers S. Anbarasu and Roselyn Hamero from the Philippines, singing praises regarding his potential.
Currently based in Germany, Nauraj was among the 24 participants who signed up for the course.
“Nauraj did extremely well. He was the only one who scored four points (the highest) in both the theory and practical sessions and is among the 14 participants who qualify for the Level 2 course,” said Karim.
“The fact that he wanted to participate in the course shows that he is already thinking about his future. And he did well, which will further motivate him to complete the next level.”
While not all athletes become good coaches, Karim stressed that Nauraj should be encouraged to take the coaching course seriously as he had shown great potential, based on his high scores and understanding of the lessons.
“It’s not just about Nauraj alone. The key lesson here is that we need to encourage more athletes to take up such coaching courses in order for them to become good coaches as well. I’d rather have coaches who have participated in the sport and who know the ins and outs of the event.
“This is a sign that he is thinking about the future. And at least, with a Level 1 coaching course, he can start coaching. He still has time on his side, as he is an active athlete. But this will ensure we will have a pool of knowledgeable coaches.”
An Olympian, Nauraj participated at the Rio Olympics in 2016, but did not make the cut for the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. That, however, did little to stop Nauraj from earning the gold at the Luxembourg meet.
Here are Twentytwo13’s news highlights today.
PM STILL IRONING OUT CABINET LINE-UP
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said his Cabinet line-up would be announced later this week.
He said this while visiting several flood-hit areas in Kedah. This was his first appearance as prime minister after clocking in to work at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya this morning.
Malaysia has gone into speculation overdrive regarding the line-up of the new Cabinet, which many fear could see the same faces holding key positions. Also, many wondered if Ismail Sabri would have a bloated Cabinet to satisfy his Perikatan Nasional colleagues, or adopt a lean team that would focus on battling Covid-19 and reviving the nation’s economy ahead of the next general elections to be held within the next two years.
DIP IN COVID-19 CASES TODAY
Malaysia saw 17,672 new Covid-19 cases today, bringing the total to 1,572,765 cases since the pandemic started early last year.
Selangor topped the list with 4,316 new cases, followed by Sabah (2,474 cases), Kedah (1,602) and Sarawak (1,538).
The country had been recording over 19,000 Covid-19 cases daily in recent days.
SULTAN SELANGOR: FULLY VACCINATED IS NO REASON TO BE COMPLACENT
Those who have received their complete Covid-19 vaccinations should not be complacent, reminded Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Sultan Salahuddin.
The Selangor Sultan urged the people to comply with the standard operating procedures and help the government tackle the pandemic.
“All assemblymen must play their role and advise the people to promptly get their Covid-19 vaccinations so that Selangor can achieve herd immunity as targeted,” he said, when gracing the opening of the First Meeting of the Fourth Term of the 14th Selangor State Assembly this morning.
He also expressed concern as the state still has the highest number of daily cases and deaths in Malaysia.
INJECT UNITY THROUGH SPORTS, CULTURE AND FOOD
Unity is best represented through sports, culture, and food, said the chief secretary to the government, Tan Sri Zuki Ali.
Zuki highlighted the national athletes’ performances at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics as an example.
He made specific references to podium winners Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who won the men’s badminton doubles bronze medal, and Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, who settled for the silver medal in the men’s keirin final, adding that “sports unite us.”
“If this spirit is injected into every aspect of our lives, whatever we face, good or bad, we will get through it together,” Zuki said during the launch of the ‘Semarak Perpaduan Bulan Kebangsaan’ this afternoon.
The initiative, by the National Unity Ministry, was to foster unity among the masses ahead of the National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations on Aug 31 and Sept 16 respectively.
Zuki also singled out culture, the arts and food as other avenues to unite Malaysians.
STUART RAMALINGAM NEW MFL CEO, SAIFUDDIN TIPPED TO BECOME NEW FAM GEN SEC
Stuart Ramalingam will serve as Malaysian Football League chief executive officer starting Sept 1. Ramalingam, who is the FA of Malaysia (FAM) general secretary, is expected to be replaced by Saifuddin Abu Bakar at Wisma FAM.
MFL president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan was optimistic about Ramalingam’s appointment as he comes with 15 years of experience with organisations like the Asian Football Confederation and FAM.
Saifuddin, meanwhile, served as FAM assistant general secretary (2007-2009). He was also the technical consultant for the Oman FA Pro-League, and was the assistant head of competition of the Qatar Stars League.
