Top S’pore sprinter to quit after SEA Games

SINGAPORE — Leading national sprinter Muhammad Amirudin Jamal will end his eight-year athletics career after a final attempt at landing his first-ever Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medal next month.

A bronze medallist in the men’s 100m at the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games and a three-time SEA Games 4x100m relay silver medallist, the 28-year-old revealed that he had decided to give winning his first SEA Games title a last shot before hanging up his spikes regardless of the outcome.

Speaking to TODAY at the Kallang Practice Track yesterday, Amirudin said finding a job that pays well is essential to starting a family. The sprinter will wed his girlfriend Faqeehah Harun on Aug 9.

“It is a bittersweet feeling to step down. I want to see what is out there besides being an athlete, such as being a husband, a father and a counsellor,” he said.

“I see a lot of my friends and peers of my age getting married and having kids. I’ve put all of that off because I want to focus on my sport. But it is unfair if I continue putting it (setting up a family) off. I’m not good at juggling two or more things well.”

For now, Amirudin, who was plagued by injuries, including Achilles tendon and hamstring problems, last year, has his sights firmly set on winning the gold in the men’s 100m and 4x100m relay at next month’s SEA Games at the National Stadium.

The sprinter, who is regarded as a medal contender, finished third (10.55secs) in the 100m at the 2013 SEA Games, behind Thailand’s Jirapong Meenapra (10.48) and silver medallist Iswandi (10.51) of Indonesia.

However, in a media report last month, Singapore Athletics president Tang Weng Fei said Amirudin’s recent poor form did not bode well for the SEA Games and that team-mate Muhammad Elfi Mustapa was his ideal choice for the 100m alongside the other qualifier Calvin Kang.

Elfi clocked 10.58secs in the semi-finals and final at last month’s Singapore Open, while Amirudin, who qualified for the Games in 10.55secs in Malaysia last November, managed only 10.82 in the heats and 10.69 in the semi-finals.

Addressing the incident, Amirudin, whose personal best is 10.46, said: “When I qualified for the SEA Games, I planned with my coach (former Malaysian sprinter Azmi Ibrahim) about how to peak at the Games. Most would want to peak at the Singapore Open to qualify, but as I’d already qualified, I was on a different pathway.

“The president’s comments caught me off guard and I did lose a bit of sleep, but it helped me refocus. The comments will not pull me down,” said Amirudin, who leaves with the national side for the Taiwan Open (May 15-16) today.

He also wants to win a SEA Games gold medal in memory of former national 400m hurdler Zaki Sapari, who died in a motorcycle accident last year.

“I’m not doing this SEA Games for anybody else. Zaki always dreamt of winning in his own backyard, and wants to break the 400m hurdles national record at the 2015 SEA Games,” said Amirudin.

“On some days when I feel tired, I remind myself that Zaki wanted to be here, but could not. That’s why I need to give my all. This SEA Games means a lot to me.”