PETALING JAYA: Yeow Ni Jia and Esther Joy Chen Hong Li emerged as the top Malaysians at the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon on Sunday (Oct 4) to book their spots in the list for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
The race had doubled as the official preliminary selection event for next year's KL SEA Games marathon.
The 26-year-old Ni Jia crossed the line first among the Malaysian men with a personal best of 2'33:52.
Lai Yi Hng was second in 2'34:16, while national record holder Tan Huong Leong settled for third in 2'39:17.
"I decided to go with the flow. My goal was to secure a podium spot as well as make the SEA Games longlist and of course, defend the title," said Ni Jia.
"I was hoping to clock below 2'35:00 and because of the competitive field, I managed to get my local personal best.
"I will be taking a little break after this to recover from previous injuries."
In the Malaysian women's category, Esther, 22, won on her marathon debut in 3'05:22. Elaine Koon was second in 3'12:43, with Lai Wei Ling third in 3'14:37.
"I decided to give it a shot after hearing about this race being the preliminary selection event for the 2027 SEA Games," she said.
"My coach adapted my training for a marathon block and our strategy was to go big or go home.
"He gave me a rough pace to follow and my goal was to finish the race.
"It would have been nice to also clock a sub-three," added Esther.
In the men’s open, Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya pipped defending champion John Nzau Mwangangi to win the gold and the US$15,000 (RM61,065) prize purse.
Kemboi clocked 2'21:19, eight seconds ahead of Mwangangi (2'21:27) while Moses Kibet Kipsang completed the Kenyan sweep in 2'21:32.
Kemboi, who last raced here in 2023, prepared for this year's race in Eldoret, Kenya, where conditions are similar to Malaysia's.
"I did not really have a strategy and came to the race deciding to give it a try. It was hot and humid but I was lucky today," he said.
In the women’s open, Alemitu Ajema Lema of Ethiopia won in 2'39:29.
More than 27,000 runners took part on the second day, passing iconic buildings across Kuala Lumpur.
The 10km and 5km races were held on Saturday, with all events starting and finishing at Dataran Merdeka.
A record 43,800 participants from 53 countries, including 3,600 internationals, signed up for the 18th edition.
RESULTS
Men
Open: 1. Ezekiel Kemboi (Ken) 2'21:19, 2. John Nzau Mwangangi (Ken) 2'21:27, 3. Moses Kibet Kipsang (Ken) 2'21:32.
Local: 1. Yeow Ni Jia 2'33:52, 2. Lai Yi Hng 2'34:16, 3. Tan Huong Leong 2'39:17.
Women
Open: 1. Alemitu Ajema Lema (Eth) 2'39:29, 2. Lucy Nthenya Ndambuki (Ken) 2'39:59, 3. Caroline Cheptonui Kilel (Ken) 2'40:17.
Local: 1. Esther Joy Chen 3'05:22, 2. Elaine Koon 3'12:43, 3. Lai Wei Ling 3'14:37.
