Selangor: National sprinter Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee expressed relief at having defended his men's 100 metres (m) title at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) here today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Danish, who is representing Johor at the Games, admitted that the pressure was far greater compared to his debut at the Sarawak SUKMA two years ago when he was still a relatively unknown participant. He reflected on his previous SUKMA, noting the high caliber of competitors and his status as an underdog during his first competition.

Danish shared that the current competition brought greater pressure, which he managed to handle successfully. He expressed gratitude to all the finalists for their performances and highlighted his need to maintain composure after a false start in the final at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Sports Centre.

Danish stated that after the false start, he focused on maintaining his composure, recognizing that the competition left no room for mistakes. He also revealed his ambition to challenge Khairul Hafiz Jantan's SUKMA record of 10.18 seconds before he exceeds the age limit for the Games. Danish expressed his determination to break the record set by his senior, Khairul Hafiz, in 2016 in Sarawak.

The 19-year-old sprinter clocked a season-best time of 10.27 seconds to secure the gold medal. The silver and bronze medals were claimed by Kedah's Muhammad Umaira Subri and Muhammad Dzul Danish Jamari, with times of 10.31 seconds and 10.37 seconds, respectively.

Danish is scheduled to participate in the men's 4x100 m relay tomorrow and the men's 200 m event on Tuesday.