KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Young discus thrower Queenie Ting Kung Ni has set a new record in the event when she became the first woman athlete to throw a discus over the 50-metre (m) mark.
The bronze medallist at the 2019 SEA Games, threw a distance of 50.67 metres at the Malaysian Track and Field Trials at the Bukit Jalil MSN Stadium today.
The record-breaking throw, erased the old mark by 2.11 metres.
Queenie Ting who will celebrating her 24th birthday this Tuesday (Nov 16), had previously broken the national record with a throw of 48.56 metres at the Malaysian Grand Prix Athletics last April.
Today’s outstanding feat helped Queenie to emerge as champion in the event, beating two senior athletes, Choo Kang Ni (45.25m) and Yap Jen Tzan (40.60m).
Coach Mohamad Ali Hamid who was happy with the achievement said Queenie’s performance showed she was on the right track to achieve her target of qualifying on merit for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
“Yes, we had set a target for her to throw the discus to around a distance of 50 to 51 metres based on the improvements she has made. She has the potential to go far, taking into consideration her age and potential.
“The qualifying distance for the Asian Games is around 51 metres (top six) but for this edition, the Malaysia Athletics Federation (KOM) had raised the distance to either the top four or five at the previous edition to almost 55 metres,” he told Bernama.
Mohamad Ali said he was confident that his charge would qualify for the 2022 Asian Games on merit, adding that Queenie’s next assignment would be the KOM Closed Championship next month and a few other championships organised by state associations beginning next January.
The tournaments are part of her preparation for the SEA Games in Hanoi which is expected to be held in May next year. — Bernama