KUCHING: Three years of sacrifice, setbacks and perseverance finally paid off for Umar Osman as the national sprinter shattered Malaysia’s men’s 400m record at the New Taipei City Athletics Open in Taiwan today (June 6).
The 22-year-old clocked a blistering 45.73 seconds in the semi-finals at the Taiwan National Stadium, breaking his previous national mark of 46.09s set at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, in 2023.
The historic run secured Umar a place in the final and fulfilled a goal he had been pursuing since becoming the first Malaysian to break the 46-second barrier two years ago.
“I’ve waited three years for this 45.73s national record. Every setback, every sacrifice in training and the determination to keep pushing forward have finally paid off,” Umar told Malaysia Athletics post-event.
The Johor-born athlete later returned to the track to claim the silver medal in the final with a time of 46.42s, capping a memorable day in Taiwan.
While the podium finish was another commendable achievement, it was the record-breaking run earlier in the day that stole the spotlight for Umar.
