The 36-year-old broke the record for the fastest one-mile (1.6km) run with handcuffs (female), at five minutes and 57 seconds. The previous record was set by Ireland’s Sandra Hickson in 2018 with a time of six minutes and 37 seconds.

She also became the fastest woman to run 1.6km barefoot, a never-before-attempted world record. She clocked six minutes and four seconds, under the 6.5-minute benchmark given to her by the Guinness World Records.

“I’m super happy. I feel very satisfied. I just told myself to do whatever I can and thank God, I managed to clock a good time,” Melinder, a former army officer, told FMT Lifestyle.

“For my second run I was struggling a bit, but I told myself just run, enjoy, finish the race.”

Her family and friends were present this evening to watch her in action. Also in attendance were some of the children from the Gurpuri Foundation, an NGO for which she raises funds through these record attempts.

While the results await official verification by the Guinness World Records, Melinder has automatically earned herself another award from the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) for her handcuff feat, adding to the five she already has.

Some of her previous MBR achievements include running non-stop on a treadmill for 25 hours, and running backwards on a treadmill for 12 hours.

For Saturday’s attempt, Melinder underwent intense training tailored to the unique demands of running with handcuffs.

In March, she enlisted the help of police officer and ex-national athlete Shaharudin Hashim to coach her, although she has been training on her own since December.

A former steeplechase athlete, Melinder broke the national 3,000m steeplechase record four times before hanging up her spikes.