KUALA LUMPUR: Sprinter Pengiran Aidil Auf Hajam defied the odds to qualify for the Asian Youth Championships in Dubai on April 23-27.
The Sabah-born, who stands at 1.66m, met the qualifying mark of 21.60sec in the 200m by clocking 21.36 in the semi-finals of the Institution of Higher Learning (IPT) Championships at Perak Stadium in Ipoh today.
His effort was also a new IPT record, erasing the previous by 0.26 set by Jonathan Nyepa in 2022.
Pengiran, who studies at Community College in Sandakan, went on to win the gold by clocking 21.49 in the final while Universiti Malaya's Nabil Alwani (21.75) and Sunway College's Ryan Wong (21.82) bagged silver and bronze, respectively.
On Friday, the 18-year-old won the 100m bronze, crossing the line in 10.87, finishing behind Universiti Pertanian Malaysia's Arsyad Saat (10.73) and UM's Nabil Alwani (1.0.75).
It will be Pengiran's second Under-20 Asian meet outing after bagging the 200m bronze in Yecheon, South Korea, last year.
The 18-year-old Pengiran was thrilled with his efforts in winning gold and bronze in his first-ever IPT event.
"I am happy to equal my personal best in the 200m to qualify for the Under-20 Asian Championships/
"I will train hard and try to win a medal in Dubai. I hope to clock around 21.30," said Pengiran.