Nepali trail runner Priya Rai has won the women’s Asia Trail Master Championship Final in Malaysia, further cementing the Himalayan nation’s reputation in the international trail running community.

The championship finale, held at the Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah, attracted a total of 76 elite trail runners from across the region.

This victory marked the second consecutive year that a Nepali woman has claimed the championship title, with Rashila Tamang, last year’s winner in Indonesia, securing third place in the thrilling 78km race. Impressively, all four Nepali female runners finished within the top 10. Full results

Making her debut at a distance longer than 50K, Rai initially had concerns about the course markings. However, she encountered no issues as the race progressed. Leading the 34-runner female field from start to finish, she set a blistering pace, winning the race in 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 48 seconds.

“It was tough distance-wise, but not so much competition-wise,” the new women’s champion told Asia Trail Master’s live stream, catching her breath.

This was also Rai’s first race in Malaysia, having qualified for the final after victories in two 50K races in Nepal – the Jumla Rara Trail and the Manjushree Trail in Kathmandu. Aware of the challenging conditions, she had spent the past two months rigorously preparing for the event.

“I heard that Malaysia was very hot and humid, so I trained hard during the daytime in Nepal,” Rai added with a broad smile. “But the wet and windy conditions today made me feel at home.”

Vanja Cnops finished in second place for the second consecutive year. The Belgian tried to keep pace with Rai for the first 5km, but the Nepali runner continued to push hard, eventually disappearing from her sight and building a comfortable lead. She crossed the finish line in 12:36:02, over an hour and 36 minutes behind Rai.

Meanwhile, defending champion Rashila Tamang showed resilience despite not being in top form. She held off a strong challenge from Vietnam’s Loi Leung to secure third place with a time of 13:15:09.

Borneo’s TMBT Ultra course suited the Nepali runners well, as two others also finished within the top ten. Chhoki Sherpa (14:20:14) took seventh place, just ahead of Padam Kumari Sunwar (14:21:44), further highlighting Nepal’s potential to perform on the international stage.

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Earlier, Jeff Campbell claimed his first ATM Championship title and his ninth career victory in the ATM series, crossing the line in 9 hours, 54 minutes, and 48 seconds, just over two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Hisashi Kitamura.

It was a thrilling race with an exciting finale in the last 10km uphill to the Perkasa Hotel. Kitamura began his push when he was about half an hour behind Campbell, but ultimately ran out of steam, finishing in second place for the fourth time in an ATM final. Filipino runner Arnie Macaneras looked poised to catch Campbell but was hampered by cramps and settled for third place.

Nepal’s ultra-specialist Arjun Rai Kulung, making his first appearance in an ATM race abroad, achieved a respectable tenth place among 42 starters. Lokendra Rai finished 14th, while Dina Bagale and Furba Singh Tamang placed 21st and 22nd, respectively. Milan Rai Kulung completed the race in 27th place with a time of 14:50:52.