KUALA LUMPUR − Cyclists set to represent Malaysia at the upcoming Hanoi Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in May have been reminded to fight for the country to deliver gold and not against their own national teammates.
As road race event riders will usually come from two professional teams − Terengganu Cycling Team and Team Sapura Cycling − national road cycling head coach Datuk Ng Joo Ngan said national pride should always be prioritised.
The former Asian Games champion said infighting has been identified as a major reason behind Malaysia’s failure in cycling events at the previous 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines and this time around, he has set a target of a gold, silver and bronze medal each at Hanoi after having talked to the riders and teams to reach an amicable solution.
“In cycling, we must have teamwork and having (the) right strategy is very important. Even if you’re strong, (the) wrong strategy and infighting means other people will win. I think last time (2019 SEA Games) they made a lot of mistakes, so I hope this time they don’t make any.
“No UCI (International Cycling Union) points offered for SEA Games so there’s no point in fighting among teammates. I have already explained it to them so now I hope they will fight for Malaysia to win a gold medal,” he told reporters after the SEA Games selection committee meeting at Wisma OCM yesterday.
The national cycling legend added that no matter how good a sprinter may be, when it comes to road cycling, teamwork plays a pivotal role in positioning the rider to sprint for glory.
After winning 13 gold, ten silver and three bronze medals in cycling at the 2017 KL SEA Games, the national squad only brought home a bronze through Sheikh Muhammad Taslim Shaikh Mohd Raziff in the BMX (men’s freestyle flat land) event from 13 gold medals offered in the 2019 edition, including six in road cycling.
Following that, the Malaysian National Cycling Federation decided to bring back former coach Joo Ngan, who coached the likes of former Olympian M. Kumaresan, after two decades to chart a new path for the Hanoi Games.
The riders for Hanoi are expected to be finalised by April after the Tour of Thailand scheduled from April 1-6.
Joo Ngan is the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games 200km event gold medallist in the individual event, silver medallist in the team event and multiple SEA Games gold medallist honoured as the 1970 National Sportsman of the Year.
Meanwhile, team manager Firdaus Arshad said three riders for the criterium event − Mohamed Harrif Saleh, Muhammad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff and Nur Amirul Fakhruddin Mazuki – have been approved by the selection committee yesterday for Category A (cost fully borne).
Although Nur Aiman Rosli and Muhammad Shaiful Adlan Mohd Shukri for the individual time trial − along with seven mountain bike and seven women riders − have been placed in Category B (cost refunded if a medal is won), Firdaus hopes they can be included in Category A based on future performance. – Bernama, March 2, 2022
