2025 SEA Games: Shereen Unable To Defend Gold In Thailand Following Injury Blow

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- National women’s 400-metre (m) runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy will miss the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, ending her hopes of defending the gold in the event due to a hamstring injury.

Shereen, who holds the national record for the women’s 400m event with a 51.79 seconds mark, said she had no choice but to pull out after medical checks showed she would not recover in time for the biennial Games.

The 27-year-old admitted the decision was painful, especially as she had spent a lot of time weighing her options.

“A bit sad, but it's okay, I’ll just have to move on...there will be a lot of major championships next year, so if there is a relapse (by competing at the 2025 SEA Games) the rehab will be longer,” she said when contacted today.

With her SEA Games title defence no longer possible, the Ipoh-born athlete will now shift her focus to a packed 2026 calendar including 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Apart from the women’s 400m, Shereen was also supposed to feature in the women’s 4x100m, women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events in Thailand.

The 2025 SEA Games is scheduled to kick off from Dec 9-20.

-- BERNAMA