Kuala Lumpur:Shereen Samson Vallabouy, a national women's sprinter, continues to face challenges in her training regimen due to the absence of a permanent physical coach, which she describes as one of her biggest hurdles this season.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Shereen, 28, has been navigating a difficult training year since returning from the United States last year. She initially had to train alone before resuming a structured training program through a mix of coaches and online sessions.
Shereen explained, "To be honest, this year has been very 'messy' for me. After coming back to Malaysia, it was quite challenging to find a coach who met my standards. I resorted to self-training for a time, then returned to following an online training regimen with a US coach."
Despite the lack of a physical coach, Shereen expressed gratitude for the support and encouragement from her online coach. She shared these thoughts after competing in the women's 400m heats at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, where she did not make it to the finals, finishing fourth in her heat with a time of 54.03 seconds.
Looking ahead, Shereen is considering her future plans post-Asian Games, which may include working with the national athletics squad's new coach, Thabo Matebedi. Having had only a month with Matebedi prior to the Games, she plans to discuss his training approach for the 400m event to determine her next steps.
Shereen acknowledged the disappointment of not defending her bronze medal from the previous edition but felt content with her effort on the track. Concluding her season with the Asian Games, she is set to return to action next season.