BANGKOK: National sprinter, Danish Iftikhar, clocked 10.26 seconds (s), finishing just 0.01s behind Indonesia’s Lalu Zohri, who also posted 10.26s, to secure the bronze medal in the men’s 100m final at the 2025 SEA Games.
Thailand’s Puripol Boonson dominated the race to claim gold with a blistering 10.00s, further cementing his status as Southeast Asia’s sprint king.
Earlier in the heats, Puripol made history with a stunning 9.94s, breaking the long-standing SEA Games record of 10.17s set by an Indonesian sprinter in 2009.
Danish delivered a strong outing of his own, improving his personal best to 10.18s in the heats.
In the final, he briefly surged into the lead before being overtaken in the closing metres by Puripol and Zohri.
Sarawak sprinter, Jonathan Nyepa, finished sixth with a time of 10.52s.
He acknowledged the intensity of the field but expressed satisfaction at reaching the final.
“Okay, it was a good race, as we all saw just now. The front runners really fought hard, so that’s how the result turned out,” Jonathan said after the race.
Malaysia can take pride in having two athletes in the final, reflecting encouraging progress in the nation’s sprint development.
