Saratok cyclist Nur Ain hailed as star of Suksar IV

SIMANGGANG (Feb 10): Teenage cyclist Nur Ain Ramadhania Abdullah has set her sights on following in the footsteps of national cycling star Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir.

Her dominant showing at the recent Sarawak Games (Suksar) IV suggests she is on track to becoming Sarawak’s next big name in the sport.

She not only emerged as the most successful cyclist but was also named the Most Promising Female Athlete of the biennial Games, underlining her status as one of Sarawak’s brightest rising stars in the sport.

The 16-year-old, who represented Western Zone, collected five gold medals, a feat that set her apart from the rest of the field and established her as the standout performer.

She pointed to national cycling star Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir as an inspiration.

“Who is my idol? It is none other than Aisyah Zubir. What she did for the country in the sport really inspires me and would I want to be like her? Of course, she is my idol,” she told The Borneo Post after the Suksar IV closing ceremony at the Sri Aman Sports Complex Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Despite her remarkable medal haul Suksar IV was her first major step into high level competition.

“This is my first time competing in Suksar IV and I have never represented Sarawak at Sukma before,” she revealed.

Nur Ain, who hails from Kampung Melango Baru in Saratok and is a student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan BM Saratok, said her favourite events are the Road Race and Individual Time Trial.

Following her breakthrough performance, she is now hoping to earn selection into the Sarawak team for the upcoming Sukma Games in Selangor.

“I hope to be selected for the team. After this achievement in Suksar I just want to maintain my fitness and do more training. For now I prefer to train in my hometown,” she said.

At Suksar IV, Nur Ain struck gold in the Women’s Criterium, Individual Road Race over 106 km, Team Road Race over 106 km, Individual Time Trial over 27 km and Team Time Trial over 54 km.

The Promising Female Athlete Award Olahragawati Harapan, which was presented by the Sarawak Premier, came with a trophy and RM1,500 in prize money.

The rising star trains under respected local coach Ahmad Joyo. Last year, she also gained valuable exposure by competing in several high-profile races, including the Olympic Talent Carnival Series 1 in Terengganu where she won bronze in the Team Time Trial as well as the Malaysian Youth Cycling Race in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.