KUALA LUMPUR: Former national coach Nur Herman Majid is welcome to reapply after Malaysia Athletics acknowledged the recent progress made by his athletes.
The six-time SEA Games 110m hurdles gold medallist was among several national coaches whose contracts were terminated following a post-SEA Games review conducted after last year’s edition in Thailand.
Nur Herman (main image), held the national 110m hurdles record of 13.73s from 1994 until Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian clocked 13.67s in 2017.
Malaysia Athletics secretary-general Nurhayati Karim said a panel comprising representatives from Malaysia Athletics, the National Sports Council (NSC), the National Sports Institute (NSI) and independent members reviewed all coaches following the SEA Games.
One of the key criteria was the performance of their athletes at the regional meet.
“Unfortunately, at that time, none of Nur Herman’s athletes qualified for the final. That was why the panel came to its conclusion,” she said.
However, Nurhayati said there was nothing preventing Nur Herman from reapplying, given the marked improvement shown by his athletes in recent months.
“There was a discussion on the coaches’ contracts last year, and I was informed that my contract would be cut short from its original expiry date of December 2026,” said Nur Herman, who has since returned to his banking job.
“I admit my athletes’ results last year were not up to par, but since then, there has been marked improvement.”
Since the start of the year, Elvin Yap has recorded the nation’s fastest 110m hurdles time of 13.81s, while Muhamad Hariq ranks third nationally with 14.16s.
Another athlete, Nur Shaqirah, is ranked No. 1 in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.46s and second in the 400m hurdles with 66.21s.
“There is nothing stopping Nur Herman from reapplying, given that his athletes are beginning to produce results,” said Nurhayati.
Main image: Facebook Malaysia Athletics
