Hamal Shrestha and Rokaya from Sunsari Win Asia Trail Master Championship

October 5, Kathmandu – Nepal’s Hamal Shrestha and Rokaya from Sunsari clinched the Asia Trail Master (ATM) Championship title on Saturday. This competition was the fifth edition of the ATM Mu Chang Chai Ultra Trail held in Mu Chang Chai, Vietnam. In the race, Nepal’s Gopal Tamang finished second, while Philippines’ Ki Suvelo secured third place.

Forty-two-year-old Hamal Shrestha became the first Nepali runner to win the Asia Trail Master title. Twenty-four-year-old Rokaya from Sunsari and nineteen-year-old Kalpana Budha, also from Nepal, provided fierce competition. Kalpana, finishing just behind Rokaya by a narrow margin, was satisfied with her second place, while Hong Kong’s Celine Laubierre took third place.

Nepali runners dominated both the men’s and women’s top 10 positions. Dhirbahadur Budha placed eighth, and Vishal Rai finished tenth. The Asia Trail Master race is known for its extreme difficulty, featuring challenging jungle paths and mountain ascents and descents reaching elevations up to approximately 3,800 meters.

A total of 3,600 runners from 18 countries participated in the ATM event, including over 200 international runners.