Hisashi Kitamura and Hau Ha points leaders in 2022
For the first time ever this year, the Asia Trail Master Championship was decided in a winner-takes-the-title race between qualified runners in national country teams of maximum five men and five women. Those runners qualified by scoring the most ATM points throughout the 2022 season: an easy, transparent, fair and non-arbitrary system. Arnie Maceneras from Team Philippines and Hau Ha from Team Vietnam were the strongest runners in the ATM Championship Final and were crowned as the new champions accordingly. Nevertheless, it’s nice to take a look at the final points scoring table of 2022 as well. With our 50-point ‘abroad bonus’ added, for running at least one race outside your country of residence, Hau Ha is also clearly the number one in the women’s ranking as she remained unbeaten in four ATM races. Her masterpiece was of course winning the 100km of Vietnam Mountain Marathon overall. During the ATM Final on Mt Apo, Hau Ha showed mental resilience, too, after a difficult start and finding herself chasing another woman for the first time: Vanja Cnops, who herself scored 3 ATM wins in 2022 and is a great second in the final ranking. Ultimately, however, Hau Ha still put a lot of distance between herself and the others with an incredible descent of Mt Apo, and it went to show that the exciting Vietnamese newcomer on the scene is ready to go global next year. Cnops is second in the ATM points ranking, ahead of another great Southeast Asian newbie, Sally Yap from Sarawak in Malaysia.
In the men’s ranking, however, it is Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura who finds himself on the number 1 spot. The ‘Karate Kit’ collected 2000 ATM points in 2022, with three race victories (Echigo Country Trail, Cameron Ultra and The Punisher) and a 2nd place in Borneo TMBT 100. Those were his best four results that counted for the ranking. He also was 3rd in Vietnam Jungle Marathon and BUTM 100, 18th in Izu Trail Journey and 5th in the Mt Apo Sky Race. All in all, it was Kitamura’s best season ever, even though a performance dip in the autumn and a bad spell of covid before the Final made most people forget that. Kitamura was happy with fifth in the final race, on a course that was not his. Heading the ATM’s final ranking is a nice price of comfort for him, ahead of a year that may see some changes in his professional career that could also impact his running ambitions. Yet, Kitamura will play a role again in 2023, no doubt. Sabah’s Milton Amat also had his best season ever, to the point a lot of people feared he would run totally out of gas by the ATM Final. He came just five minutes short of catching Macaneras in the Championship-deciding race, after the Filipino had dropped him earlier in the last section of the Mt Apo summit attack. Amat is second in the ATM points ranking, ahead of Macaneras.
Looking at the Top 10 below, there’s a great mixture between race winners, multiple podium placers and consistent points-scorers.
Congratulations to everyone, have a smooth rest and a great end-of-year party before reloading the batteries for Season VIII of the Asia Trail Master Championship series starting at UTKC in Thailand on 21 January. Everyone’s points tally goes back to zero and a whole new story begins!
ATM Final Points Ranking 2022 - Men
Hisashi Kitamura (JPN) 2000 pts
Milton Amat (MAS) 1950 pts
Arnie Macaneras (PHI) 1875 pts
Mohammad Affindi (MAS) 1830 pts
Wilsen Singgin (MAS) 1700 pts
Thimo Kilberth (GER/INA) 1665 pts
Jeffery Budin (MAS) 1530 pts
Amir Zaki (MAS) 1505 pts
Gaetan Morizur (FRA/VIE) 1450 pts
Thang Hoang Huu (VIE) 1445 pts
ATM Final Points Ranking 2022 - Women
Hau Ha (VIE) 2050 pts
Vanja Cnops (BEL/SIN) 1975 pts
Sally Yap (MAS) 1900 pts
Cecille Wael (PHI) 1800 pts
Halimatun Sa’adiah (MAS) 1670 pts
Thi Lan Huong Vu (VIE) 1645 pts
Julie Ann Morales (PHI) 1640 pts
Irish Glorioso (PHI) 1600 pts
Emily Raga (PHI) 1570 pts
Izzah Hazirah (MAS) 1500 pts
