Editor’s note: The story has been updated to add details of Yap’s race experience.
KUCHING, Dec 22: Sally Ann Yap Yu Ing, an athlete from Kuching, has made history by placing second in the recent 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship Finals at the Mount Apo Sky Race in the Philippines.
The 30-year-old sportswoman completed the 77.13km course with an elevation of 3,900m in an incredible 13 hours and 16 minutes, with rest stops not lasting more than 3 minutes.
Yap had just one week to scrap together funds and prepare for the big race. On Dec 15, she landed in Davao for the event that began on Dec 17.
At dawn, she raced from Santa Cruz Beach, starting from sea level, up Mount Apo which is the highest peak in the Philippines, and back to the beach, finishing in second place behind Hau Ha from Vietnam.
Throughout the feat, Yap burned about 5,720 kcals and consumed 3 energy gels, 2 bananas, and 10 slices of watermelon.
With this unexpected win, she is now ranked third in the Asia Trail Master Championship with a total of 1,850 points from her participation in international competitions this year.
Yap stated in Asia Trail Master’s post-race interview that she did not expect to win second place or even finish the race because competing with elites from other countries is never easy for her.
“I’m sure that all of the athletes and runners, have performed well in every race in which they have competed, so competing with them is like a dream come true, but placing second is a bonus,” she said.
Yap revealed she did not expect to surpass Belgian-born Vanja Cnops, who is an accomplished road and trail runner.
“Just making the top 10 was one of my goals,” she added.
She continued by stating that after the 2022 Asia Trail Master Championship Finals, she will recover and focus on her upcoming competitions.
Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Yap emphasised that racing to the sky was an incredible experience.
She also expressed her heartfelt appreciation to Hock Seng Lee (HSL) and La Promenade Mall for their assistance and support throughout her running career.
“Your contribution made it possible for me to participate in the Mt Apo Final race,” she wrote.
Asia Trail Master is an internationally renowned series of trail running competitions in Asia that is managed by Kuai Sports Promotions Ltd.
It features an annual championship based on a transparent and simple-to-understand points system for competitive runners, but places an emphasis on runners of all levels through the Grandmaster Quest, a special award for persistent long-distance finishers. — DayakDaily
