Malaysian Athletes Target National Records at Commonwealth Games

Malaysia's Athletics (MA) is setting its sights on national records rather than medal targets for its two representatives at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Discus thrower Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin and women's hammer thrower Grace Wong are the sole Malaysian athletics representatives to qualify for the prestigious event based on merit. They earned their spots by ranking within the top 10 Commonwealth nations in their respective disciplines.

Nurhayati Karim, Secretary-General of MA, stated that the organization only sent athletes who met the stringent qualification standards. "We only sent athletes who qualified. Within the qualification criteria, only our two athletes qualified: Grace and Irfan," she said. "We are not setting medal targets. What we expect is for both of them to achieve their personal best (PB), because if they succeed in setting a PB, it will also be a new national record."

Karim explained that the Required Quality Standard (RQS) mandated athletes to be in the top 10 among Commonwealth nations to qualify. "We cannot compare Commonwealth rankings with Asia because Commonwealth nations include sports powerhouses like countries from Africa and other nations with very high levels of competition," she noted. "That is why the standard used is the top 10 position. If they go to Glasgow and manage to achieve their personal best, it will be enough to be proud of because it will result in a new national record."

Irfan is heading into the Games in strong form, having broken his own national record with a throw of 62.87 meters at the Nemzetkozi Atletikai Balatkn Bajnoksag in Hungary on June 20. Grace holds the national record for the women's hammer throw with a 65.41m performance at the 2025 SEA Games. She also achieved a throw of 61.98m to win the Malaysian Open last month.