Malaysia's Shereen Samson Wins Gold In 400m Race At Florida Meet Despite Strong Headwind
Well done, Shereen!
Cover image via @NewsBFM (X)Malaysian sprinter Shereen Samson Vallabouy kicked off her 2025 season in style by clinching gold in the women's 400 metres at the Embry-Riddle Running Elements Classic in Florida, US
Held in Daytona Beach over the weekend, the 26-year-old ran a solid 53.72 seconds — comfortably ahead of her competitors — to take first place despite battling some pretty tough headwinds.
The New Straits Times reported that Shereen left North Florida's Gabby Johnson (55.17s) and Rowan's Nevaeh Lorjuste (56.91s) trailing behind in second and third place, respectively.
"It was a strong headwind in the first half of the race, but technically and strength-wise, I felt good," she said, clearly pleased with her performance.
Image via Utusan Malaysia
This win marks her first 400m race of the year, and it's a promising start for the Perak-born athlete, who still holds Malaysia's national record at 51.79 seconds
Image via @shereen_vallabouy (Instagram)
Shereen, who trains in the US under coach Derrick White, was actually coming off a hamstring injury that forced her to skip the World Indoor Championships in March.
But she's back now, and clearly in form — having also competed in the 100m and 200m heats the day before, finishing second in both with times of 11.72s and 23.82s.
With this confidence boost, Shereen now has her eyes set on the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea this May, and the big one: the World Championships in Tokyo this September. She'll be chasing that 50.75s qualifying mark.
Well done and we're rooting for you, Shereen!
In 2023, Shereen ended Malaysia's 24-year gold medal drought at the SEA Games and cemented her status as the fastest Malaysian woman:
The year prior, Shereen set a new Malaysian record by becoming the first Malaysian female runner to go under 54 seconds in an indoor 400m race:
