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Malaysian runner Esther Joy Chen may have broken a decade-old national record after delivering a standout performance at the Nagoya City Marathon yesterday, 8 March
The 23-year-old clocked 1:19:27 in the half marathon, setting a new Malaysian women's national record, pending official ratification.
If confirmed, Chen's time would surpass the long-standing 1:24:44 record set by Sheela Samivellu in 2016.
According to Malaysian running Instagram page @ArenaMalaysia.Asia, Chen finished third overall in the 21km race, marking a major breakthrough in her distance running career.
Her record-breaking performance also represents a significant personal improvement
Chen's previous personal best was 1:24:52, which she recorded two years ago — also on the Nagoya course.
Her achievement yesterday has already drawn praise from the Malaysian sports community.
Malaysia Triathlon, the national federation governing triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, and other multisport disciplines, congratulated Chen on Instagram, writing: "Well done, Esther! Your achievement is an inspiration to the entire triathlon community. We look forward to seeing many more milestones ahead."
Chen is a national triathlete who previously trained in swimming, gymnastics, and wushu before transitioning into endurance sports
She has represented Malaysia at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2023 and 2025, winning two bronze medals in aquathlon and the triathlon mixed team relay at the Thailand edition.
Looking ahead, Chen has set her sights set on a bigger goal — becoming Malaysia's first triathlete to qualify for the Olympics, targeting either the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles or the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane.
Following her race, Chen shared a message on Instagram, writing: "Happy International Women's Day! This one is for all the women out there who got up and did it again and again — when you were sad, happy, busy, tired, unmotivated. When no one was watching, even when they were told they can't."
In an interview with SAYS, Chen said she initially did not believe she had finished in the 1 hour 19 minute range
"Going into the race, I had trained with the expectation that I could run under the national record pace, and on a particularly good day perhaps finish around the 1 hour 22 minute mark," she said. "I never imagined that running close to 1 hour and 19 minutes was possible."
Chen also shared that balancing the demands of being a full-time university student while training as a competitive athlete has not been easy.
However, she credited her university, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TARUMT), for supporting her journey by providing access to high-performance training facilities on campus.
She also thanked her teammates and coaches at RC Coaching for structuring and guiding her training, and sports brand New Balance for the opportunity to compete in the Nagoya City Marathon.
Despite her achievements in distance running, Chen said her long-term focus remains on triathlon. This year, she hopes to qualify for the 2026 Asian Games.
