Dennis Isika won the first local competitive running event of the new year after clinching the Brunei Run 2025 title at the Berakas Indoor Stadium.
The pre-race favourite broke the tape with a winning mark of 0:34:46 in the 10-kilometre (km) open category, finishing ahead of local hope and second-placed Ruzaini Mahadi, who crossed the line with a time of 0:35:08.
Serial podium candidate Amirul Hamdi Jamil crossed the line in third place after registering a time of 0:35.29s under the Berakas skies.
The top two competitors in the main race re-established the growing rivalry, with Isika previously besting his rival in the End of Year Run last month.
The last race of 2024 saw the Kenyan halt Ruzaini’s dominance in the 10km distance after posting a time of 0:33:05s, with the latter playing the role of bridesmaid with a time of 0:33:52s.
Meanwhile, leading female runner Siaw Kim Tho dominated the women’s field after clocking a time of 0:46:56s.
Qimm Chin emerged as runner-up with a time of 0:48:17s, with Julia Wijsman completing the podium with a time of 0:50:02s.
In the 5km open category, Jimbo Sijim won the men’s title after recording a time of 0:17:12s.
Ahmad Zawawi Rasit finished as runner-up with a time of 0:17:29s, and Soon Hau Lau took third with a time of 0:18:21s.
In the women’s open, Linda Chin Hui Ching won top place with a time of 0:20:57s, with Vanessa On arriving with a time of 0:22:09s to secure second place.
Liyana Zakaria rounded off the top three with a time of 0:23:22s.
The event also witnessed a special appearance from renowned Malaysian fitness influencer Muhammad Khalish, better known as Kay Khalish on Instagram.
Brunei Darussalam Athletics Federation President Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Muda Abdul Mu’min presented prizes to the winners. – Fadhil Yunus
