PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s best half-marathon runner G. Vimal’s third-place finish at the Asics Meta: Time: Trials comes as a timely boost of confidence ahead of his debut at the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) on Oct 6.
The 30-year-old crushed his personal best time in the 10km invitational race distance by clocking 31:55 and stood on the podium at the Suphachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok yesterday.
It was seven seconds quicker than his previous best set two years ago.
“My first regional podium finish is because of my increased weekly mileage,” said the runner from Taiping.
“I want to be ready and be prepared for my debut at the KLSCM next month.”
Vimal will be making his full marathon debut at KLSCM, after clocking in as the fastest Malaysian in the half marathon distance at the 2023 edition.
He has been the country’s best 5km runner, coming out first in the Malaysian Open for the past two years consecutively.
Vimal has also won the 5km distance in the Perak Open for the past five years.
The Philippines’ Sonny Wagdos crossed the line in first place with his time of 31:29, while compatriot Richard Salano came in second with a time of 31:32.
In the women’s category, it was a close battle between Singaporeans Goh Chui Ling and Goh Shing Ling.
But it was Chui Ling who crossed the line with a time of 38:18, mere seconds ahead of Shing Ling who clocked 38:21. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thuy Van secured the final podium spot with her time of 38:27.
The Asics Meta: Time: Trials saw 41 Asics athletes from across Southeast Asia joined by more than 3,000 general participants for the event.
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