KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Universities (Masum) team powered to victory in the men's 4x100m at the Malaysian Open in Kuantan on Sunday.
The team, comprising Yusridzwan Danial Yusof, Nabil Alwani Rizal Alwani, Raimi Mustaffa Kamal, and Thaqif Hisham, who will represent the country at the ASEAN University Games, clocked 40.81sec to take the gold medal.
Terengganu won silver, clocking 41.52, while Sarawak took bronze with 41.54.
Masum's first runner, Yusridzwan Danial, said a mistake in the baton exchange denied them an opportunity to clock below 40 seconds.
"Although we won the title, the timing was not what we had expected," said Yusridzwan at the Darulmakmur Stadium.
Masum were expecting a tough fight from Sabah. However, the Sabahans were disqualified for a false start.
"I think Sabah would have given us a tough fight if they were in the race. Our timing could have been better if the race was scheduled in the evening.
"Some of us competed in the 100m and 200m events yesterday (Saturday) and did not have enough rest to recover for this race," Yusridzwan added.
Yusridzwan and his teammates will now prepare for the ASEAN University Games in Surabaya, Indonesia, from June 26 to July 6.
In the women's 4x100m final, Johor won with a time of 48.57, followed by Terengganu (48.85) and Armed Forces (49.38).