KOTA KINABALU: An ultra marathoner from Kota Belud awed netizens when she used her mother tongue in an interview during a recent international event in Thailand.
In the viralled 54-second video, 36-year-old Jassica Lintanga, also known as Jess Boubie, was asked five questions by an Asia Trail Master Championship interviewer in English, but the runner deliberately gave her reply in the Dusun language.
“I have been participating in ultra marathon for the past four years and I am more comfortable with using my mother tongue to converse with others as my trademark is being a ‘native’ runner.
“The interviewer is actually used to my style. After the interview, I translated my replies to him,” she told the New Straits Times.
The mother of three added that she hoped more people around the world would get to know more about Sabah through her running journey.
In certain races, she also wears the Dusun Tobilung traditional costume, paired with colourful accessories, to promote the culture in Sabah.
Besides making running a living, Jess also sells her handmade copper bracelets to local and international runners she meets during races.
Jumping on the bandwagon to speak Dusun in an interview was her teammate Milton Amat, who also participated in the two-day 103km trail run going around Phanang island in southern Thailand.
Jess finished the run within 28 hours and secured sixth placing in the women’s category.
“My participation is in order to collect points for the next three upcoming events around Thailand for this year. This year, I will be focusing on races in Thailand and in Malaysia only,” she said.