Noraseela will not quit until she fulfils dream

By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: Hurdler Noraseela Kha-lid celebrated her 30th birthday last month but she has no intention of hanging up her spikes just yet.

Instead, the Selangor athlete is looking at competing in the 2012 London Olympics before even thinking about retiring.

Noraseela, who is the South-east Asian region’s top 400m hurdler, feels that she is still in good shape and can compete in international meets for at least four more years.

Noraseela Khalid

“Retiring is the last thing on my mind ... my dream is to make my Olympic debut in London,” said Noraseela, who holds the national 400m hurdles record of 56.02.

“I could have qualified for the Beijing Olympics Games last year if not for my injuries. But this time I’ll make sure I stay in good health until the 2012 Games.”

Noraseela, the 2006 Doha Asian Games bronze medallist, underwent a six-month training in South Africa this year and clocked her season’s best of 56.76 in March to qualify for the December Laos SEA Games.

Noraseela said she was also toying with the idea of competing in the 400m event in the Laos Games.

“I was supposed to take part in my pet event (400m hurdles) at a meet in South Africa in March but it was cancelled. So I competed in the 400m and clocked 54.30.

“I was happy with my time and I may compete in both the events (400m and 400m hurdles) for the first time in the SEA Games.

“If I do well in the 400m hurdles, then I will also run the 400m,” said Noraseela, who will only take part in the 400m event in the Malaysian Open, which begins today at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

The Malaysian Open will be the last chance for athletes to qualify for the Laos Games.

Noraseela skipped the last two SEA Games – Manila 2005 and Korat 2007 – because of injuries.

And that has whetted her appetite to win the 400m hurdles gold medal in Laos.

Noraseela won gold in the 1999 Brunei Games, silver in KL (2001) and then the gold again in Vietnam (2003).

She will also feature in the Asian Track and Field (ATF) meet in Guangzhou, China, from Nov 10-14.

Noraseela bagged the silver medal at the ATF meet in Incheon in 2005 but skipped the last meet in Jordan two years ago because of injuries.

The other athletes who will compete in the ATF meet are high jumper Lee Hup Wei, pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu and 3,000m steeplechaser Melinder Kaur.