Kota Kinabalu: Malaysia’s Georgene Ee Jern Wee and Vietnam’s Nhat Lam Quang made winning debuts by claiming the women’s and men’s overall titles respectively at Oceanman Kota Kinabalu 2026, as organisers confirmed the event will return to Sabah next year.
The pair also qualified among the top 10 age-group finishers for the Oceanman World Finals Championship in the Dominican Republic this November.
Joining the Sabah contingent at the world finals is visually impaired swimmer Faiq Adnan, 36, who secured qualification alongside his longtime coach and fellow competitor, Dato’ Ooi Win Juat.
Faiq said Ooi had coached and guided him since he was eight years old, describing their qualification as another milestone in their long-standing partnership.
Following the event’s success, Race Director Azura Zainol Abidin announced that Oceanman Kota Kinabalu would return to Shangri-La Rasa Ria in 2027.
“Our staff are already familiar with this venue and our partners are already comfortable here, making our ground handling work smoother, and it makes sense to return here next year,” she said.
Azura said the decision followed the event’s growing popularity, prompting organisers to continue staging the championship in Kota Kinabalu beyond its original three-edition plan.
Sabah Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Julinus Jeffrey Jimit welcomed the announcement, saying the Board aimed to position Sabah as a leading adventure sports tourism destination in Malaysia.
“We hope that the visiting swimmers and their families will take this opportunity to explore the other beautiful destinations that Sabah has to offer,” he said.
The latest edition saw first-time competitors dominate the podium while strengthening Kota Kinabalu’s standing as a key stop on the international open-water swimming circuit.
