Shereen, who is slated for four events, said her recovery from the left-leg hamstring strain she sustained recently has been encouraging.

“I actually had a hamstring strain two weeks ago when I was practising in the 4x100m relay. Two days ago, I managed to start jogging.

“I think only time will tell, but so far, I can see good progress right there,” she said after SEA Games 2025 chef de mission Nurul Huda Abdullah met with the track and field squad bound for the biennial games here yesterday.

Apart from women’s 400m and 4x100m, the 27-year-old will  feature in the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events.

Shereen said she will not underestimate the challenge from Thai and Vietnamese athletes, who are expected to pose a threat to her bid to defend the women’s 400m title.

Shereen, the national record holder with a 51.79s mark set two years ago, clocked a season-best 53.66s in a meet in Florida in the US in April.

The Ipoh-born runner claimed the women’s 400m gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, with a time of 52.53s.

Her biggest challenge at the next SEA Games is likely to come from Thailand’s Josephine Chinenye Onuorah who recorded a time of 52.70s in the US.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc is also shaping up as a serious contender after running 53.12s at the Asian Championships in May, followed by Thailand’s Benny Nontanam with 53.15s and another Vietnamese runner, Le Thi Tuyet Mai, who clocked 53.37s.

The 2025 SEA Games will be held from Dec 9 to 20 across three Thai provinces – Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla.