PENANGITE Christopher Soosai, who was the sole Malaysian participant in the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, is now planning to transition from half marathons to full marathons.
The 30-year-old physical instructor from the Royal Malaysian Navy is seeking a new challenge after competing in numerous half marathons over the past 12 years.
“In fact, I was looking forward to participating in the KL Marathon on Oct 1 this year, but when I was chosen to represent the country in the world half marathon in Latvia, I seized the opportunity to compete with world-class athletes from countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and Europe.
“They were just too fast and too strong for me, but nevertheless, it was an enriching experience,” Christopher told Buletin Mutiara during an interview today.
During the Latvia race, Christopher finished in 84th position out of 94 participants, completing the race in 1 hour 11 minutes. This puts him roughly 12 minutes behind the winner Sabastian Kimaru Sawe of Kenya, who clocked 59 minutes 10 seconds. Sawe led the Kenyans to a 1-2-3 finish, ahead of compatriots Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (59:14) and Samwel Nyamai Mailu (59:19).
Although Christopher finished 84th overall, he was the third-fastest Asian in the meet and the fastest among Southeast Asian participants.
The race took place on a cold and windy afternoon in Riga, Latvia, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Christopher had to deal with jet lag after a tiring 26-hour flight, including a transit in Dubai, as well as challenging weather conditions. He had only a few days of acclimatisation after landing in Latvia on Sept 28.
“The temperature was really cold, about 12 degrees Celsius, and the course was not as flat as those in Malaysia.
“Moreover, the winds were stronger than I encountered on the Penang Bridge. With my light body weight, I sometimes felt as if I could be blown off,” Christopher said.
He praised the World Athletics Federation for their excellent organisation of the championships, including providing transportation and accommodation.
Christopher, who trains under the guidance of state coach Senderen Gopal, qualified for the Latvia meet by achieving a personal best of 1 hour 9 minutes at the Gold Coast half marathon race earlier this year, narrowly beating the qualifying time of 1 hour 10 minutes.
He aspires to improve his timing in his next competition in the Asian Half Marathon in Dubai on Nov 11 and has also set his sights on participating in the full marathon at the SEA Games 2025, which will be hosted by Thailand.
He trains virtually every day, at various locations such as City Stadium, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Botanic Gardens, and Padang Polo, lasting one to two hours.
Christopher expressed his gratitude to Penang Forward Sports Club adviser Datuk Tom Khoo for sponsoring his airfare to Latvia.
He began taking up athletics more seriously at the age of 18 and was recruited to join the Penang Forward Sports Club in 2011 for a round-the-island relay.
His commitment and systematic training led to his representation of Penang in the 2014 Sukma, where he secured a gold medal.
This achievement opened up job offers from various organisations, including the police and armed forces, and Christopher chose the Royal Malaysian Navy, where he has served for almost nine years.
One of his most memorable races was the Danga Bay 8km run in Johor in 2013, where he ran his heart out against formidable African runners only to miss the podium finish by a second.
However, his lowest point came in 2012 when he qualified for Sukma in the 5,000m and 10,000m, but another athlete was chosen instead. This caused Christopher considerable disappointment and he almost gave up athletics.
Last week, Christopher captured two golds (5,000m and 10,000m) and one silver (4x400m) in the annual Armed Forces championships in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan.
Christopher has won the Royal Malaysian Navy overall best athlete award in 2020 and the MAKSA
Games overall best athlete in 2022.
When asked if he had any advice for aspiring athletes, Christopher emphasised that success at a higher level requires embracing pain, practising patience and maintaining self discipline.
He has two younger brothers who are not involved in athletics. However, his mother, Jacqueline Lourdu Nathan, 54, consistently supports him by attending most of his local meets.
Another supportive person is Megdelene S. Anthony, a nurse at Gleneagles Hospital Penang, and they plan to marry in December this year.
Story by Ammar Mikhail Aamer
Pix by Law Suun Ting and courtesy of Christopher Soosai