Winona State’s Shereen Vallabouy Competes on International Stage

WINONA, Minn. (KTTC) – A Winona State Warrior is competing on the world stage. Her name is Shereen Vallabouy and she is one of the best women’s 400 meter runners in the world.

This past season, Vallabouy swept the indoor and outdoor Division II national championships in the 400 meter dash. She was also named an All-American in three events.

Vallabouy came to Winona State by way of Malaysia, who she represented earlier in July at the Track & Field World Championships in Oregon. She’ll also represent Malaysia at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in England. Vallabouy is a world class talent, and she says nothing feels like representing your homeland on the international stage.

“It was always my dream and I felt like one day I would reach it. I could see the vision right there,” she said. “I feel really proud to represent my country. I know at a young age, it has always been my dream to just keep competing and reach to the top, to the national level. I just feel like I’m super blessed.”

Shereen’s talent has caught the eye of her country’s royal family. She broke the Malaysian indoor 400 meter record at nationals with a time of 53.79. The Malaysian king and queen took notice on social media, and then sent Shereen a post to congratulate her.

“That was really cool,” Vallabouy said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the King and Queen wished me.’ I just thought it was so crazy and amazing at the same time. It was very exciting. It was very motivating, too, because they actually noticed it.”

Vallabouy is scheduled to run in the first round of the 400 meter dash next Wednesday, August 3. The semifinals take place on Friday the 5th, followed by the finals on 7th.

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