KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The Ministry of Youth and Sports has not set a specific target for the Rio Olympics bound Malaysian contingent next month, said its minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said though there would be no specific target, the country’s medal hopes will certainly hinge on three sports, namely badminton, cycling (track) and diving.
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil kick off officially on August 5.
“I don’t want to add unnecessary pressure on the athletes by setting a specific target.
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports however, believe and remain confident that there will a number of athletes who will rise to the occasion and be on the podium in Rio,” he told reporters after the flag handing over ceremony to the Olympic bound Malaysian contingent by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at Istana Negara here today.
Meanwhile, Khairy was also full of praise for the country’s latest sprint king, Khairul Hafiz Jantan, who had smashed the 18-year-old national 100m sprint record held by Sarawakian Watson Nyambek for 18 years.
He said the success and time set by Khairul has put him in the driving seat for the gold medal in the 2017 Sea Games hosted by Malaysia.
“When we look at the winning time in the Singapore Sea Games there is every reason to be optimistic. The winning time is Singapore was 10.25s while the Sea Games record is 10.17s while Khairul clocked 10.18s,” he said.
Khairy added that he would also recommend Khairul to join the Podium Programme that is aimed at winning gold medals at the 2017 Sea Games. — Bernama
