TRACK and field athletes have to work hard if they want to make the squad for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia this April.

National coach Zainal Abas said there is no guaranteed spot for anyone, including sprint king Khairul Hafiz Jantan, as only athletes with potential to win medals would be chosen.

“We do not want our athletes to go there unprepared as their morale would drop and they would be criticised by the media,” he said after submitting the list of athletes to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) selection committee in Kuala Lumpur, today.

Three athletes under the Podium Programme who should not have any problems in qualifying on merit, are Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin (discus throw), Muhammad Hakimi Ismail (triple jump) and Nauraj Singh Randhawa (high jump).

Malaysian Athletics Federation handed an initial list of 18 athletes including four female, to the committee chaired by OCM president Tunku Imran Jaafar.

Zainal said the list of coaches who would accompany the squad depends on the athletes who qualify. – Bernama, January 9, 2018.