Dedicated Coach in Malaysia Article

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http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp? ... sec=sports

Russian coach’s sacrifice pays off as his pole vaulters shine

SINGAPORE: The last two days have been hectic for Russian coach Viatcheslav Meshcheryakob, who is attached to the Bandar Penawar Sports Schools in Kota Tinggi, Johor.

The pole vault coach took a bus all the way to Kuala Lumpur to get a visa so that he could be with his charges – Malaysian pole vaulters Mohd Hafizudin Sahadan and Mohd Aiyuha Sulaiman – during the 29th Asean Schools Track and Field Championships at the Chua Chu Kang Stadium. He paid RM45 for the visa and also the bus fare.

Then he hit the road again on Tuesday and arrived in Singapore at 8pm after a six-hour journey. Yesterday morning, he was at the stadium as Mohd Hafizudin and Mohd Aiyuha went into the fray in the pole vault event.

Meshcheryakob was an inspiration to the young Malaysian students. They did it in style but with a bit of a twist as Mohd Hafizudin clinched the gold while Mohd Aiyuha, who was the favourite, settled for the bronze.

But it did not matter to the Malaysian camp as the first and third placings kept them in the hunt for the overall title.

Mohd Aiyuha, who has been doing 4.50m-4.60m with ease in training, cleared 4.00m without problem. He then skipped his turn at 4.30m. And when the bar was raised to 4.40m, the Malaysian injured his groin while attempting to clear the height. Luckily there was Mohd Hafizudin to bring cheers to the Malaysian camp when his 4.30m effort, which also turned out to be his personal best, was good enough to land him the gold.

Mohd Aiyuha’s misfortune handed the silver to Singapore’s Chong Ming Xun, who cleared 4.20m.

“There is joy and sadness in my win. I am happy with the gold as I also managed to achieve a personal best. But at the same time I feel sorry for Aiyuha as the injury robbed him of the gold. He is a better pole vaulter and the gold was certainly his for the taking. I am glad that I was able to win the gold for Malaysia, apart from the personal glory,â€Â