KUCHING: Host state athletes made an early mark in the long-distance races at the Sarawak Stadium today as Clezendra Chanda and Danial Hakim both secured podium finishes in the 1,500m event.
In the women’s 1,500m, East Kalimantan’s Nefriana Ariance Daik surged ahead to claim gold with a time of 4:53.19, while Hizillawanty Jamain took silver in 4:56.32.
Sarawak’s Clezendra Chanda crossed the line in 5:09.07 to take bronze, giving the host state an early medal on home soil.
The men’s 1,500m was equally competitive. Akhbar Tanjung captured gold with 4:11.09, but Sarawak’s Danial Hakim held strong to claim silver in 4:12.63. Brunei Darussalam’s athlete completed the podium in 4:14.55.
Both Clezendra and Danial expressed satisfaction with their performances, noting that the early podium finishes provide motivation for the rest of the athletics programme.
The long-distance events were the first competitions of the athletics schedule at the Sarawak Stadium, setting an encouraging tone for the host state as the Borneo Games Kuching 2025 got underway.
