The SEA Games marathon podium seems so far for Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR - No Malaysian athlete has ever claimed a gold medal in the men's or women's marathon at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). The nation's best performance in this event so far came in 2017 when Muhaizar Mohamed secured a bronze medal.

The upcoming challenge for Malaysians is to achieve a podium finish at the marathon during the 2027 SEA Games. While marathons are commonly held in Malaysia, participation in the SEA Games is less common.

In a bid to select athletes for the 2027 SEA Games, Malaysia Athletics (MA) acting president Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh announced a qualification event, scheduled to take place in Putrajaya in April next year. Hisham revealed that MA will collaborate with Dirigo Events to organize the marathon qualifying event. Putrajaya will also host the SEA Games in September.

The qualification will be open to the top five men and top five women finishers from this year's KLSCM (Kuala Lumpur-Singapore-Marathon). These include Yeow Ni Jia, Lai Yi Hng, Tan Huong Leong, Christopher Soosai and Syahrullah Safri for men, and Esther Joy Chen Hong Li, Elaine Koon, Lai Wei Ling, Lim Ee Kim and Tiew Jing Jing for women.

Esther Joy Chen Hong Li, a duathlon and triathlon athlete, expressed her disappointment as the marathon won't be held in the 2027 SEA Games. She noted that the qualifying time for women is 2 hours and 59 minutes, but she finished 3 hours and 5 minutes in her first race at KLSCM. She acknowledged the marathon as a new and challenging endeavor, but admitted she's unsure of navigating the qualification process.