Sarawak’s cross-country team shines bright

KUCHING: Sarawak’s cross-country team delivered an impressive performance, finishing 4th in the Mountain Bike (MTB) relay mixed event.

The team members included Mohd Zakwan Zamahari, who completed his segment in 17 minutes and 11 seconds; Nurfara Ain Nabiela Abdullah Hafiz, who finished in 24 minutes and 46 seconds; Safyia Said, who recorded a time of 26 minutes and 33 seconds; and Aidil Syahmizan Abdul Rahim, who wrapped up his race in 15 minutes and 41 seconds.

Sarawak completed the event with a total time of 1 hour, 24 minutes, and 11 seconds.

Coach Faisal Dzulkiflee noted that this edition of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) marked the debut of these athletes.

“Alhamdulillah, they put on a strong performance despite one of our female riders falling earlier. The fourth rider managed to recover some time, but we narrowly missed third place by just a few seconds,” he told reporters after the match at Bukit Siol on Thursday.

A dramatic moment unfolded when Safyia Said collapsed at the finish line after passing the baton to the fourth rider, Aidil Syahmizan.

Aidil managed to overtake several competitors and almost caught up with the fourth-place rider from Sabah. Despite narrowly missing out, Aidil was the third-fastest rider in the event.

Kedah took the gold medal with a total time of 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 57 seconds, thanks to the efforts of Muhammad Aiman Supri, Nur Fitrah Shaari, Ammar Yasir, and Phi Kun Pan.

Johor claimed silver with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, and 20 seconds, while Sabah secured bronze with a time of 1 hour and 24 minutes.