Kuala lumpur: National women’s 400m runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy is racing against time to recover from a hamstring injury as she aims to compete at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand next month. Shereen, who is slated for four events, said her recovery from the left-leg hamstring strain she sustained recently has been encouraging.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Shereen mentioned she had a hamstring strain two weeks ago during practice in the 4x100m relay but has recently started jogging again. She expressed optimism about her recovery, noting visible progress. These comments were made following a meeting with SEA Games 2025 Chef-de-Mission, Nurul Huda Abdullah, and the track and field squad preparing for the upcoming games.

In addition to the women’s 400m and 4x100m, the 27-year-old athlete will participate in the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events. Despite her injury, Shereen remains cautious of the strong competition from Thai and Vietnamese athletes, who are expected to present significant challenges in her pursuit of defending the women’s 400m gold medal.

Shereen, who holds the national record with a 51.79s mark set two years ago, recorded a season-best 53.66s at a meet in Florida, United States, in April. She won the women’s 400m gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia with a time of 52.53s.

Her primary competition at the upcoming SEA Games is expected to be Thailand’s Josephine Chinenye Onuorah, who leads Southeast Asia this year with a 52.70s performance in the US. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc also emerges as a formidable competitor with a 53.12s time at the Asian Championships in May, followed closely by Thailand’s Benny Nontanam at 53.15s and Vietnam’s Le Thi Tuyet Mai at 53.37s.

The 2025 SEA Games are scheduled from December 9 to 20 across Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla provinces.