KUALA LUMPUR: Having won a major competition in the United States recently, 24-year-old national athlete Shereen Samson Vallabouy is set to achieve greater “speeds”.

       The final year student at Winona State University, Minnesota, is currently aiming to be the first Malaysian female athlete to qualify on merit for the 400m at the 2024 Olympic Games.

       This follows her national record-breaking success at the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

       Shereen’s then career high at 53.79 seconds positioned her as the gold medallist in the NCAA.

       She is the first international student to break the indoor national record of 54.58 seconds by Noraseela Mohd Khalid in 2006.

       The youngest child of former national athletes Josephine Mary Singayar and Samson Vallabouy won a sponsorship totalling US$52,000 (RM228,000) from Better Malaysia Foundation (BMF) and will be receiving US$2,600 (RM11,400) per month starting this month until her graduation in December 2023.

       The sponsorship covers living expenses and other expenditures, including chiropractic treatment and supplements.

       Shereen obtained a 75% athletics scholarship from the university and was reliant on her parents to cover other costs while pursuing a degree in the field of recreation and tourism.

       “I am currently on the lookout to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships, which will be held in July.

       “I qualified for the Asian Games this September, but unfortunately it was postponed to 2023, so I’m pretty sad about that,” Shereen said via Zoom at the mock cheque presentation ceremony at BMF.

       From grit to glory, Shereen’s current goal before qualifying for the Olympics is to surpass her mother and biggest supporter’s 400m record which is under the 53-second mark.

       “Currently, I’m recording a personal best of 53.37 seconds.

       “My first goal is to break the 53-second barrier and after that I want to be in the range of breaking the Malaysian record of 52.56 seconds and my mother’s record of 52.65 seconds.

       “I will be working hard for the next South-East Asian Games,” she said.

       BMF founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan told the media yesterday that he admired Shereen’s passion to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and hoped this contribution would help her to be more focused on upcoming tournaments.

       “With such passion in Shereen, it is disheartening that she and her parents had to go through much struggle to finance her living expenses while pursuing her studies.

       “I hope that this contribution will alleviate her financial worries so that she will be able to focus on her training and upcoming competitions,” he said.

       Tan and BMF deputy chairman Sunita Mei-Lin Rajakumar presented the mock cheque to Shereen’s parents at Berjaya Times Square on Thursday.

       Josephine expressed her gratitude and described the contribution to her daughter as a “miracle” and “Godsend” and hoped Shereen would be able to continue her studies and sport without having to worry about money.

       Shereen was coached by her mother until the age of 16 when she secured a place in the Bukit Jalil Sports School under the guidance of Malaysian quarter-miler K. Jayabalan.

       She represented Malaysia in numerous international events and won a bronze in the 400m and 4x400m at the 2015 SEA Games, and was part of the 2017 SEA Games 4x400m relay bronze medal winning team.