Malaysians might just have witnessed the birth of a new rising legend in the nation’s athletic history. On Thursday, August 21, Kristian Tung, a 21-year-old Malaysian athlete broke a national record older than his age, by clocking 8:15:81 seconds at the British Milers Club meet in Tooting. With this milestone, Kristian surpassed S. Muthiah’s long-standing record of 8:27:00 back in 1985.
Not stopping there, Kristian now has a new goal in mind: To snatch a medal prize in the upcoming SEA Games event. As a young record breaking runner, Kristian Tung has won several achievements throughout his running career. Which we will break down below.
From zero to hero
The celebrated Malaysian long-distance runner Kristian Tung that people know today is the result of Kristian’s years of hard work, discipline, and dedication. As he said to Bernama.com, Kristian started running for his school at the age of 10, but back then he admits that he was not cut out for it and everyone outran him.
However, that was not a reason for Kristian to give up. With a burning passion for running and a never ending conviction in his potential, Kristian continued training. It was only then at 15 when he started taking the running sports seriously. Kristian believes that if he keeps competing to be the best, one day that belief will eventually pay off—and that day finally comes for Kristian.
At the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma) held in Sarawak Stadium, the Federal Territories’ runner brought home three gold medals in the 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m category, according to New Strait Times. After recuperating from a shin stress fracture, in June 2025, Scoop reported that Kristian became the fastest Malaysian runner at the British Millers Club Grand Prix, as he hit 3:52:43 in the 1,500m. Moreover, Kristian has also improved his 5,000m personal best to 14:15:85 at Wimbledon earlier this month.
Later in August, the Loughborough University student rewrote national history as he broke the men’s 3,000m 40-year-old record held by S. Muthiah at the British Milers Club. Kristian won over S.Muthiah with a timing of 8:15:81, 12 seconds quicker than S. Muthiah’s mark of 8:27:00 back in June 1985.
Kristian’s new goal
As he is thrilled to have established a new national record in the men's 3,000m, Kristian now has another goal he is seeking to accomplish: Win the medal at the SEA Games and take part in the national Podium Programme.
Kristian believes that there is still potential in him waiting to be unlocked, especially in improving his mileage and aerobic strength, and he intends to acquire sponsorships so that he can devote all of his time to focus on running.
After bagging three gold medals at last year’s Sukma Games, Kristian sets to compete in a 10,000m road race next month, before preparing for the SEA Games in December. For now, Kristian plans to continue training in his home country until he completes his sport science studies.
