Bangkok: Fast rising national sprint talent Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 200 metres final at the 33rd SEA Games tonight, marking another podium finish in his debut.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, his time of 20.73 seconds broke the national record of 20.77 seconds, set by Russel Taib at the 2019 Queensland Track Classic in Australia. Competing at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, Danish ran an impressive race, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis, who took silver with a time of 20.72 seconds.

Home favourite Puripol Boonson claimed gold with a time of 20.07 seconds, breaking his own Games record of 20.37 seconds set at the 2021 edition in Vietnam. When met by reporters after the final, Danish expressed gratitude for his achievement and vowed to continue improving to the highest level.

Danish, aged 18 and born in Johor, shared his reflections on the race, stating, ‘I never expected to break the record, but thankfully I did, and it’s now my new PB (personal best). I am truly grateful for this achievement, getting on the podium (for the second time) in my SEA Games debut.’ He credited his parents’ advice and his focus on self-improvement for his performance.

Racing against Puripol three times at the games, including the heats and the 100m final, Danish described it as a valuable experience for his career. ‘If I am blessed after this, I’ll try to give Puripol even stronger competition and do my best to reach a higher level,’ he added. Danish Iftikhar also won bronze in the 100m sprint on Thursday.

Meanwhile, national women’s sprinter Nur Afrina Batrisyia Mohamad Rizal finished seventh in the women’s 200m final with a time of 24.52 seconds. Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira won gold in 23.05 seconds, Vietnam’s Le Thi Cam Tu took silver with 23.14 seconds, and the Philippines’ Zion Rose Nelson earned bronze in 23.50 seconds.