By Ling Hui
KOTA SAMARAHAN, Dec 29: Sarawakian ultra trail marathon runner Sally Yap who recently won second place in the 77km Asia Trail Masters course at Mount Apo in the Phillipines, deserves more financial support from the Sarawak government and corporate sponsors.
Hock Seng Lee (HSL) Realty Sdn Bhd director Yu Ji said this in recognition of Yap’s talent, passion and perseverance in her ultra trail running journey since March 2022.
Other than getting ranked third in Asia this year, Yap has also throughout the year performed remarkably well in several local and national ultra trail races including the Cameron Ultra, Jagoi Heritage Ultra Trial, Malaysian Mountain Trail Festival and Spartan World Championship Borneo Trail Classic.
Yap when approached by the media on the issue, said registration fees for 100km ultra trail marathons are usually priced at about RM500 per entry, not including accommodation, flight tickets and transport fees to the race destinations.
“Most of us runners are self-funded. Even when we win the races, we don’t really get cash prizes. We get maybe a smart watch or a pair of new shoes,” she said.
When asked whether she had ever approached the Sarawak Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Yap said she did not know who to approach or how to go about a funding request.
It is thus the hope of Yu that today’s event could attract more sponsorship for Yap in her future running endeavours.
When funding was brought up, Yap was quick to point out it was her wish that all Sarawakian runners who compete for Sarawak and Malaysia can be sponsored, not only herself.
“It’s not only about me. I think there are other great runners out there. So I hope sponsorships may also go to other runners as well, not just me,” she said. — Dayakdaily
