LABUAN: Sabah extreme swimmer Shairul Aiman Shairul Jefry emerged champion in the open category of the 5.4-kilometre Labuan International Cross Channel Swimming Challenge on Sunday.
Shairul Aiman clocked one hour, 29 minutes and 18 seconds, beating Labuan swimmer Tan Jie Sheng (1:33:22s) and Labuan extreme swimmer Chin Zhung Lim (1:45:18s) into second and third places respectively.
In the women’s open category, Labuan swimmer Avena Ng Siew Tien claimed the top spot in a time of 2:41:56s while Brunei’s Nur Sabiqah Rosli and Nur Amalnadhirah Abdul Rahim finished second and third respectively.
Labuan swimmers also dominated the junior 2.7km category, sweeping the top 10 positions. Rafa Raziq Rahmatdan finished first with a time of 49:28s, just ahead of Andrew Ng Keng Him in 49:31s, while Muhd Al Fateh Aisy Jijam was third in 56:47s.
Labuan Corporation chief executive officer Rithuan Ismail said the participants showed strong determination and endurance despite the challenging hot weather and open-sea conditions.
“We look forward to seeing more foreign countries participate in next year’s event,” he said after the event.
The race, flagged off at the Labuan Sea Sport Complex beach, saw swimmers making their way to Pulau Papan before returning to the same area to finish the event.
A total of 103 swimmers took part in the challenge, including 23 participants from the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Japan and Brunei.
The Labuan International Cross Channel Swimming Challenge is one of the main events of the Labuan International Sea Challenge 2026, an annual marine sports and tourism event aimed at strengthening Labuan’s position as a regional destination for sea-based sports, recreation and endurance competitions.
