Umar Osman cracks 46s mark to set new 400m record

 He recorded a time of 45.73s in the men's 400m heat at the New Taipei City Open but could not maintain the pace in the final.

National distance runner Umar Osman said he had wanted to set a new national record for three years. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:

Men’s distance runner Umar Osman smashed the 46-second mark to break his own national record with a time of 45.73s in the men’s 400m heat at the New Taipei City Open athletics championships today.

He erased the old record of 46.09s set at the World University Games in Chengdu, China, in 2023.

“I’ve waited for this national record of 45.73s for three years. All the ups and downs, my sweat during training and the spirit to rise up finally has borne fruit,” he said in a video shared by Athletics Malaysia on Facebook today.

However, Umar could not sustain the pace in the final and was only able to secure the silver medal with a time of 46.42s. The gold went to Australian Brenton Kerr (46.40s) with Methawi Kanhaaudom of Thailand finishing third with a time of 46.43s.

National women’s runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy won the gold in the women’s 400m, with a time of 52.73s to beat Sri Lanka’s Jithma Wijethunga (53.16s) and Australia’s Sophia Gregorevic (53.86s). - FMT