Track queen Annie, Malaysia’s first woman Olympian

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: Before the likes of M Rajamani and Marina Chin, who are credited with stimulating the popularity of track and field among girls and women, there was Annie Choong.

The sprint queen of the 1950s, Choong was the first Malaysian woman to compete in the Olympics at a time when most females fought shy of sports.

As a 22-year-old, she was the only woman athlete among the 32 competitors when Malaya made its Olympic debut in Melbourne in 1956.

She competed in the 100 yards on merit and might have been eliminated in the heats, clocking 12.73 seconds to finish fourth, but the impact she had on women’s sports in Malaysia was notable.

- More -