Japan’s Yokouchi, Taniguchi Dominate Malaysia Ultra-Trail By UTMB 2026

TAIPING, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Japanese runners Yutaro Yokouchi and Mika Taniguchi dominated the men’s and women’s MY100 categories respectively at the Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB 2026 here by emerging champions of the 100-kilometre race.

Yokouchi, 33, from Kobe and now based in Tokyo, won the men’s MY100 race in 12 hours, 18 minutes and 44 seconds, while Myanmar runner Duyakar Bahar Duu finished second in 13 hours, 40 minutes and 19 seconds.

Another Japanese runner, Hiroyuki Kawachi, finished third with a time of 14 hours, nine minutes and 47 seconds.

Yokouchi said he had targeted a sub-12-hour finish and remained on schedule until the final 20 kilometres, when he fell about 15 minutes behind his target.

“I wasn’t focused on the time today. I wanted the title. Just the title,” he said after the prize-presentation ceremony at Dataran Warisan Taiping today.

The victory was particularly meaningful for Yokouchi after he failed to finish the UTMB World Series race in Thailand last May, which affected his confidence for several months.

Yokouchi said his Taiping victory was his second in the UTMB World Series, after winning the 50-kilometre race in Thailand last year, and his first victory in the 100-kilometre category.

“I want to keep progressing over longer distances. I want to try racing 100 miles again next year,” he said.

On his ambitions in trail running, Yokouchi said he was aiming to finish on the podium at Western States, one of the world’s most prestigious ultra-trail races.

Meanwhile, Taniguchi, who took the title in 15 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds, said the hot weather in Taiping presented a different challenge compared with her hometown of Sapporo, Hokkaido, which is known for its cold weather and snow. 

“I was sweating throughout the run. The tropical scenery is completely different from what I’m used to, and I really enjoyed that. There were monkeys, and even the insects were a little different, so I noticed those things as I ran,” she said.

Taniguchi, who was the women’s MY100 runner-up in the previous edition, also described interacting with local runners as one of the highlights of the race, as they encouraged and motivated one another along the way.

Filipino runner Angelie Cabalo finished second in the women’s MY100 category in 16 hours, 12 minutes and 39 seconds, while compatriot Mia Revilla took third place in 18 hours, 10 minutes and 59 seconds.

The Malaysia Ultra-Trail by UTMB 2026 attracted more than 2,700 participants from 63 countries and was held over three days from Friday.

-- BERNAMA