It was a quantum leap from the one silver and one bronze they took home from the 2009 Laos Games. Nor Azian Alias delivered the silver in the women’s road race while Mohd Zamri Salleh got the bronze in the men’s competition. Track cycling was not part of the programme.
Here, the seven gold medals only came flooding in when track cycling began its campaign at the Rawamangun Velodrome. It can be said that track cycling saved the blushes for the squad.
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| Too strong: Fatehah Mustaha (left) and Ju Pha Som Net on their way to winning the gold medal in the Women’s Team Sprint. Fatehah competed in the event just minutes after winning the individual sprint. |
It came as no surprise when world-class rider Fatehah took to the tracks, blowing away her rivals. After all, she had placed fifth in the keirin race at the World Championships in Holland in March.
Having completed her individual sprint race just minutes earlier, the tireless Fatehah was back in the saddle to partner Ju Pha in the team sprint final. Even then, they were too good for the Thai duo of Jutatip Maneephan-Chanakan Srichan.
The Melbourne based Edrus did not have too much problem in the men’s sprint final as he was up against team-mate Fattah Amri Zaid.
Hats off also to those who raced in the track endurance events like omnium, scratch and team pursuit, as they beat the odds, especially as Thailand and Indonesia were the favourites.
The success of the track endurance team has given hope to coach Harnizam Basri, who is targeting the team pursuit event in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
“We had most of our best riders here because we wanted to win the gold medals. But, on average, the riders are still young,” he said.
“We have a lot of young talent back home ... it’s just that they need to ride in more competitions locally, which seems to be a luxury, before they can strut their stuff at a higher level like the SEA Games.”
Hafiz’s success in grabbing the omnium gold must not be wasted and he must pursue the event diligently.
Riders who are chosen to compete in the omnium, a six-race event, should not be on a ad-hoc basis as it is an Olympic event which replaces the madison, individual pursuit and the 1km time trial.
As for the road programme, there are two ways of looking at the performances of the riders.
While Mariana Mohamad and Ng Yong Li could only finish fourth in the women’s individual time trial and men’s road race respectively, there is still much work ahead for them.
The road cycling squad attended a training camp in Chiang Mai in August after conducting a recce of the mountainous route in Bandung. The squad also had four professional riders – Amir, Adiq (both Drapac Cycling), Yong Li (Le Tua) and Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Terengganu Pro-Asia). But coach Graham Seers, who has been with the team since January, played down their defeat.
He said the Indonesian team spent eight months training on the mountains of Tangkuban Parahu and had the advantage of knowing the route well.
“This doesn’t mean that we are doomed in road cycling,” said Seers.
“The riders showed the desire and hunger and we can take a lot of positives from it. Remember, we have qualified on merit for the Olympic road race and have to thank these guys for making it possible.”
As for the mountain bike cross-country event, Masziyaton Mohd Radzi’s silver medal finish is one step better than her bronze in Laos two years ago. And it has also given hope for the future.
The BMX event is still in its infancy in Malaysia and that explains why the riders were outclassed by Indonesia in the men’s and women’s events. Let’s hope there will be more support for BMX in the country as they make their bid to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.
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