Malaysia’s experienced athletics trio—Umar Osman, Shereen Samson Vallabouy, and Irfan Shamsuddin—faced setbacks at the recent Asian Games held at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, falling short of expectations despite their prior achievements.

Umar Osman, 23, competed in both the 400m and 800m events but failed to advance to the finals in either race. His effort in the 800m heats yielded a personal best time of 1:48.74, an improvement on his previous best of 1:49.40 recorded at the Taiwan International Open in June. Reflecting on his performance, Umar noted he narrowly missed the final qualification, finishing just one second behind the last qualifying position. He expressed determination to return stronger in future competitions.

Shereen Samson Vallabouy also failed to reach the women’s 400m final, coming in fourth in her heat with a time of 54.03 seconds. This was well outside her personal best and national record of 51.79 seconds set two years prior in the United States. Shereen acknowledged the disappointment but highlighted her commitment and resilience in the face of adversity through a message on social media.

Meanwhile, Irfan Shamsuddin ended his men's discus campaign in 10th place with a best throw of 56.37 meters, considerably below his national record of 62.87 meters established in June. Irfan disclosed that injuries severely hampered his preparation, including knee cartilage damage diagnosed following the Commonwealth Games and a torn pectoral muscle sustained two weeks before the Asian Games. Despite medical advice urging withdrawal, he chose to compete, hoping for recovery that ultimately did not materialize on competition day. He conveyed no regrets about his efforts and emphasized his ongoing dedication to training and future opportunities.

In the previous edition of the Asian Games, Malaysia secured three bronze medals in athletics through Mohd Azeem Fahmi in the men’s 100m, Shereen in the women’s 400m, and the women’s 4x100m relay squad. This year’s disappointing results underscore the challenges faced by some of the country’s top athletes in reaching peak form amid injury and competition pressures.