2023 bronze medallist Shereen Samson Vallabouy fell short in Heat Three, clocking 54.03s. She vows to bounce back after her final event this year.
NATIONAL sprinter Shereen Samson Vallabouy admitted her disappointment after missing a place in the women’s 400-metre final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games yesterday.
The bronze medallist at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 finished fourth in Heat Three with a time of 54.03 seconds at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
Of course, I am disappointed. I won’t lie, I am disappointed and sad. But I gave everything I had today.
“I can’t blame myself too much because I gave it my all. I need to review the race with my coach and evaluate it from there,” she told reporters after the race.
The 28-year-old athlete said she must accept the result and bounce back to move forward in her career.
“There is a limit to what I can do each year and this was not my year. I need to come back stronger and keep moving forward,” she said.
Shereen said the Aichi-Nagoya Games is her final competition this year before returning next season.
“The Asian Games is my last event this year. Next year I will return to running and start a fresh season,” she said.
Earlier, Iranian runner Zahra Zarei Manoujan took first place in 52.00s, followed by Uzbekistan’s Jonbibi Hukmova in second (52.05s) and India’s Prachi in third (53.46s), securing their spots in the final.
Meanwhile, men’s 400m runner Umar Osman finished sixth in Heat Two with a time of 46.91 seconds, missing a place in the final.
India’s Vishal Thennarasu won the heat in 45.27s, while Qatar’s Ammar Ibrahim came in second (45.31s) and Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Kumarge took third (45.74s) to qualify for the final.
