Latest news with #Icelandic-born
Barnama
2 days ago
- Sport
- Barnama
Cultra's Brutal Beauty Draws Runners From Across The Globe
Malaysia's Sua Yih Huan thrilled the home crowd with a rare double triumph — Men's Overall Champion and Veteran Champion — while also taking an impressive second place overall. Photo: CULTRA 2025 presented by Asics Icelandic-born Kristjan Chapman conquered brutal climbs, tough terrain, and stifling humidity to win the 100km in 13:14:54. Photo: CULTRA 2025 presented by Asics A runner grinds up the steep tea plantation trails at CULTRA in Cameron Highlands. Photo: CULTRA 2025 presented by Asics Runners weave through the iconic tea plantations of Cameron Highlands at CULTRA. Photo: CULTRA 2025 presented by Asics By Linda Khoo CAMERON HIGHLANDS, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Winding through jungle ridgelines, climbing the steep slopes of Cameron Highlands' iconic tea plantations, and battling unpredictable weather, thousands of trail runners take on the Cameron Ultra (CULTRA) race every July. From gruelling climbs that drain the legs to technical descents demanding total focus, every kilometre pushes even the most seasoned athletes to their limits. bootstrap slideshow 'Be prepared, be very prepared.' More than a warning, CULTRA's tagline is a pledge, one that attracts runners to return year after year to face the highlands' ultimate test. First held in 2016 by local organiser Bolt Events Management (BOLT) in collaboration with SUKADEI Running Club, the race has flourished to become Malaysia's premier ultra-trail event, renowned for a course that blends beauty with wildness. The 9th edition of CULTRA drew 2,500 participants from 39 countries this year, consisting of five categories: 100 kilometres (km), 60km, 30km, 14km, and 4km, challenging not only seasoned ultra-athletes but also welcoming newcomers alike. It also marked a new chapter, as Asics came on board as title sponsor, officially branding the event 'CULTRA 2025 Presented by Asics'. In the flagship 100km, 26-year-old Icelandic-born Kristjan Chapman overcame rough climbs, unpredictable terrain, and stifling humidity to win CULTRA 2025, his first ultra-trail in Asia, in an impressive 13:14:54, shattering the course record by 1:06:53 despite battling late-race cramps from dehydration. 'This win means everything to me. I've always wanted to win a 100KM race, and to do it on my third attempt in a country I now call home makes it even more special. I'm just so happy with the result,' said Kristjan, who juggles between coaching and running in Kuala Lumpur.
Irish Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Celtic legend's warning for Irish football fans and Heimir Hallgrimsson record
Former Celtic and Aston Villa legend Stiliyan Petrov notes Ireland's recent form under new management - four wins, four losses and two the former international star has warned against misplaced optimism about the 'win' column as his country accounts for two of those may have been to seven World Cups (finishing 4th in 1994) but they have not been to a major championship since Euro2004 and are practically uncompetitive at present. Recent Bulgaria results include a five-goal defeat against Northern Ireland, four-goal defeats to Greece, Switzerland, a 2-5 reverse at home to Georgia, draws with Belarus twice, Cyprus, Luxembourg..."Bulgarian football is shadowed by corruption and match-fixing and people who depend on political support," says Petrov who made a record 105 appearances and scored eight goals for his country."And this makes it even harder for the younger players, for the coaches and for all the football ecosystem in Bulgarian football to flourish because we've been struggling for many, many years and it seems like we are still struggling."We used to play against teams, against Ireland, against the North, and expect to win, now you can see how far we are behind."We are a football nation and I think the fans and people around football want a change but it seems like people who run the carpentry, do the building, don't want to change and this is the biggest downfall for Bulgarian football." Ranked no3 in the world in June 1995, Bulgaria currently languish at 71st."I'm not surprised they could not win against Ireland, I'm not surprised at all."I mean, our national team, our players, are really struggling to play in the big teams and the big leagues, to create leaders, which was a really big problem for Bulgarian football and this has been going on for the last 20 years."And it seems like there's more people who don't want to change then want to change something for good." As it stands, Ireland have played 10 games since announcing Heimir Hallgrimsson as their new coach on July 10, 2024. The Icelandic-born coach's previous job had been as the Jamaica coach but had tendered his resignation at the end June, 2024, following the Reggae Boyz' poor showing at the Copa America where they shipped three defeats in three pool had been beaten 0-1 by Mexico in their opening game, 1-3 by Ecuador in their second outing and finished with a 0-3 loss to had been high in advance for a squad that carried English Premier players such as West Ham striker Michail Antonio, Fulham's Bobby de Cordova-Reid alongside another half-dozen Championship regulars, the then Clermont-based Shamar Nicholson and with another cohort of players across the Ireland regime started with a 0-2 reverse against England in Dublin followed by another 0-2 defeat in Dublin, this time to next four games provided two wins and two losses, with Ireland completing an home and away double, single goal wins over Finland, but having previous form franked when suffering 0-2 in Greece and 0-5 in next two matches, Nations League play-off games - and the ones the former Bulgaria captain Petrov was specifically referring to - were consecutive 2-1 victories over Bulgaria, firstly in Sofia and then Dublin and, remarkably, earned having gone behind in both recently there were early June, 2025, friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg, both of which finished as draws and garnered mixed reactions with former Ireland stars Gary Breen and Kevin Kilbane notably immediate programme features 2026 World cup Qualifiers, starting with Hungary at home and Armenia away in September followed by Portugal away and Armenia at home in pool finishes with Portugal at home and Hungary away in November. *Stiliyan Petrov will be featuring in a Premier League XI playing against Ayrfield Utd (founded 1977) at Blunden Drive, Coolock, Dublin, today. The game is a fundraiser for Ayrfield Utd's new clubhouse, youth club and sensory room for neurodivergent children and adults within the community, i.e. people with autism, ADHD, Asperger syndrome. And what a teeam it is! Premier League XI (courtesy LegendsXI/Tony Browne): David James; Stephen Carr, Ian Harte, Jaap Stam, Wes Browne; Karol Poborsky, Jason McAteer, Keith Gillespie; Jermaine Beckford, Yakubu - plus guests.
