It was 8.30am at the National Sports Council mini stadium last Thursday.
Norliayana Kamaruddin was practising to set up and push off from the starting blocks. Just as her ‘coach’, national hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian arrived, she quickly made her way to the hurdles and started jumping.
The nation’s heptathlete, who turned 31 on March 26, had determination written all over her face. Norliayana is set to make her fourth SEA Games appearance, in Hanoi, this month, as she competes in the heptathlon event.
While gunning for honours in Vietnam is her immediate priority, Norliayana’s ultimate goal is to get more children to understand and appreciate the different disciplines in athletics. She admitted, in Malaysia, the tendency is to just focus on one sport or event.
“Do people even know what heptathlon is all about? When it comes to athletics, it’s always the running and the jumps. But there are so many more events,” said Norliayana, who is from Jempol, Negeri Sembilan.
“Take me, for example. I started as a high jumper and participated in my first SEA Games in the high jump event in 2007 (Korat). I was struggling with weight issues and my then coach advised me to take up heptathlon instead. I never looked back.”
Exactly 10 years later, Norliayana took part in her second SEA Games, the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur. This time, in the women’s heptathlon event that featured seven disciplines – 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin throw and 800m.
Despite being her first time in the sport at the regional Games, Norliayana made it memorable after scoring 5,247 points en route to smashing the 36-year-old national record held by Datuk Zaiton Othman.
Zaiton set the record at the 1981 SEA Games in Manila with a score of 5,338, but when the International Association of Athletics Federation revised the points system in the event, her score was 5,175.
At the 2019 SEA Games, Norliayana secured a silver after bagging 4,875 points.
“It’s basically a ‘seven-in-one’ and at this moment, I don’t seem to have anyone to compete with in this event in Malaysia. In fact, my journey into heptathlon was accidental. I wished children were given the opportunity to explore the different disciplines in athletics so that they can find their true calling,” said Norliayana.
“It’s important to start at a young age. This is an event that requires one to master seven different disciplines, not just one. It’s way different than competing in just one event. Imagine if more people were exposed to events like heptathlon, I’m sure we will be able to unearth more talents.”
As Norliayana prepares to leave for Hanoi on her quest to be among the best, if not the best, in the region, she looks forward to returning to Malaysia knowing that more people will start appreciating her sport.
