KUALA LUMPUR — National sprinters Jonathan Nyepa and Azreen Nabila Alias claimed victory in the 100m diamond sprint event at the 2023 Varsity Track & Field (VTF) Grand Final championship today.
In the men’s category, representing Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Jonathan secured the gold with a time of 10.66s.
Despite falling short of breaking his personal record of 10.51s, he expressed satisfaction with defending the medal for UPM.
“My main aim was to break my own record of 10.51s but I am still satisfied with the gold and am thankful I could defend the medal for UPM,” Nyepa said after the race, citing the challenge of reaching peak form at the end of the season.
Universiti Tenaga Nasional’s (Uniten) Muhammad Fakhrul Abdul Aziz claimed the second spot with a time of 10.76s, followed by Muhammad Aqil Yasmin of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) with 10.84s.
In the women’s event, Azreen of UPM clinched the gold with a time of 12.37s, securing personal redemption after finishing second last year.
While it fell short of her best time recorded at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (11.77s), it was enough to beat Nor Sarah Adi (12.62s) and Chelsea Cassiopea Evali Bopulas of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) (12.70s).
“The win feels like personal redemption after coming in second behind Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli last year,” Azreen said.
Adding to UPM’s triumphs, Andre Anura Anuar emerged victorious in the triple jump, setting a new championship record with a jump of 15.90m.
Muhammad Sunik Muslimin from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) claimed the silver with a jump of 15.41m, while Islamic International University of Malaysia (IIUM) Muhd Razif Ismail secured the bronze with a jump of 14.09m. — November 19, 2023