KUCHING: The dedication of covering 130 kilometres weekly in preparation for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has paid off for long-distance runner Kristian Tung.
The 20-year-old secured his third gold medal at the Sarawak Sukma, earning the title of long-distance king by winning the men's 5,000m event today.
Representing the Federal Territories, Kristian had earlier won the 10,000m and 1,500m events at the Sarawak Stadium in Kuching.
Kristian, who is pursuing a degree in Sports Science and Mathematics at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, finished first in the 5,000m with a time of 15:20.50.
Perak's Shawn Roshan Singh took silver in 15:27.37, while bronze went to his teammate Farooq Zubair Kanan (15:30.45).
Reflecting on his successful Sukma campaign, Kristian thanked his coaches, husband-and-wife duo Chris and Sonia McGeorge, for their guidance.
"After COVID-19, I trained hard, running 18km a day and 130km a week.
"My hard work paid off with three gold medals this time. Next year, I might increase my training distance to prepare for bigger competitions," said Kristian.
He also expressed his excitement about representing Malaysia for the first time at the 2025 Sea Games in Bangkok after qualifying with a time of 14:31.56 at the Wimbledon 5,000m Festival Night earlier this month.
"It has been my dream since childhood to represent Malaysia. Initially, I wasn't as strong a runner compared to others, and many doubted my abilities.
"However, I always believed in myself. I started running at 11 but became serious at 15. It's the most exciting feeling to train, compete, and win," he said, adding that he also hopes to qualify for the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea next May.