Fresh from winning the 400m race in the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II in the United States, Shereen Samson Vallabouy has announced that she is targeting to break the national outdoor record of 52.56s set by Rabia Abdul Salam in 1993.
The 23-year-old, daughter of former national 400m and 800m runners Josephine Mary and Samson Vallabouy, has emerged as the first Malaysian female runner to go under 54 seconds in the indoor 400m at the meet held in Pittsburg State University, Kansas.
Her time of 53.79s also broke the national record of 54.58s by Noraseela Mohd Khalid in 2006 although it is yet to be endorsed.
Josephine said her daughter Shereen, whom she had coached previously, was aiming to beat the late Rabia’s 29-year-old record.
“She is working towards that right now. We can see progress in her times, and it must continue. But I am not going to pressure her to do it immediately. Learn, work and stay within the process.
“The more you race, the more you learn. The NCAA offers that kind of opportunity,”said Josephine.
Josephine said Shereen feels overwhelmed by the congratulatory messages from Malaysians following her win in the US but has pleaded for understanding as she is not entertaining any calls.
“It is good that she is progressing well, but I do not want her to feel stressed or pressured. She has been getting lots of calls, but right now her focus is to catch up on her coursework,” said Josephine.
“Due to the NCAA competitions, she missed a few classes and had tutors to come and help her. She has lots of academic work to submit, so if she doesn’t answer some calls, I hope people understand.”
Josephine also added that they are waiting for the organisers to send the details to the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) for the record to be endorsed.
National athletics squad head coach Mohd Manshahar Abdul Jalil described the achievement by Shereen as sensational.
If she is able to maintain her performance, Manshahar believes Shereen who has been pursuing studies in the field of recreation and tourism at Winona State University since 2019, can break the late Rabia’s record.
Shereen will not be part of the Hanoi SEA Games this year as it clashes with the NCAA competitions.
Manshahar said Shereen has the potential to compete in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England from July 28-Aug 8 and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from Sept 10-25 if she can meet the qualifying times.
“Shereen needs to pass the qualifying mark for the Commonwealth Games which is under 52 seconds while for the Asian Games under 53s,” said Manshahar.
Josephine credited Shereen’s success to several bodies, especially the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), who helped in her first year at the Winona State University in Minnesota by giving a RM5,000 grant.
She said their push helped Shereen, who is pursuing a degree in recreational and tourism, develop further in the United States.
For national duty, Shereen will not be part of the Hanoi SEA Games this year as it clashes with the NCAA competitions but could be in the reckoning for Asian and Commonwealth Games as it is during the summer break.
For now, Winona State is set to open the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field season on April 2 at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, where Shereen could star for her university.
