KUALA LUMPUR — Kristian Tung has all but booked his ticket to the Thailand 2025 SEA Games after smashing his personal best in the 5000m, clocking 14 minutes 15.85 seconds at a meet in Wimbledon on Friday.
His previous mark of 14:31.56s was set at the same meet last year.
The 21-year-old Loughborough University student’s recent time is the third fastest in Southeast Asia this year, automatically placing him in the Category A qualifying bracket for the Bangkok Games in December.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) is expected to officially announce the qualification criteria on Tuesday, but Kristian’s performance already puts him in strong contention for selection.
Malaysia Athletics (MA) had last month confirmed Kristian and fellow middle-distance runner Shawn Roshan Singh on the longlist for the Road to SEA Games programme, but stressed final selection would hinge on key competitions.
“I’m really happy with my time and my form now. I didn’t have a great start to the year, so to be where I am now is great,” Kristian told Scoop today.
“I still have a few more races, particularly a 3000m race in London on August 20, which I intend to smash the national record, and then a 10,000m road race in Rotterdam in September.
“After that, my focus will fully be on preparing for the SEA Games. I am expected to come back to KL and join the SEA Games team two weeks before the competition. I’m just so happy to represent Malaysia,” added Kristian, who won three gold medals at the Sarawak Sukma last year.
The men’s 3000m national record of 8:27.00 was set by Muthiah Sivalingam 40 years ago, while the 5000m mark of 14:06.84 belongs to M. Ramachandran, set in 1994.
MA president Datuk Karim Ibrahim previously confirmed that the Malaysia Open (August 29–31) will serve as one of the official selection meets, though Kristian has opted to remain in the UK for his race preparations. — August 10, 2025