ALOR SETAR, Young national athlete Umar Osman set a new record in the men's 400 metres en route to the gold medal at the 2024 Higher Education Institutions Games (SUKIPT) held at the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Stadium in Sintok yesterday. The 21-year-old, representing Politeknik Sultan Ibrahim (PSI), clocked a time of 46.49 seconds (s), surpassing the previous record of 47.54s set by Kannathasan Subramaniam at SUKIPT 2012, twelve years ago. However, the Johor-born athlete previously recorded a time of 46.34s during the SEA Games in Cambodia last year, breaking the national record in the men's 400m held by Mohd Zaiful Zainal Abidin, which was 46.41s at the 2001 Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Brunei. Umar is also expected to have the opportunity to join the national team for the SEA Games in Thailand scheduled for late next year. The 2024 SUKIPT involves participation from 46 private universities, 20 public universities, five Teacher Education Institutes (IPG), one polytechnic, and one commun ity college. Source: BERNAMA News Agency