LANGKAWI – 2022 SEA Games duathlon athlete Ann Pow will be looking to be the first Malaysian female participant to cross the finish line first at the Ironman Malaysia this Saturday.
Deciding to join Ironman races after seeing an ad for it on her computer, Ann will be participating in her first full-distance Ironman (swim 3.8km, bike 180km, run 42.2km) here at Langkawi and said her target will be to finish under the 13-hour mark as she has only competed in half-Ironman (Ironman 70.3) in the past.
“I did Ironman 70.3 in 2019 and I qualified for the world championships that was supposed to be in New Zealand in 2020.
“But because of the pandemic I went for the world championships in Finland the following year instead,” she told the media at the Pelangi Beach Resort and Spa.
During the pandemic, Ann said her focus shifted towards the SEA Games selection, and when she represented the country at Hanoi in May, she finished seventh in the women’s individual duathlon category with a time of 2h 22m 30s.
For the race on Saturday, the Malacca-born athlete said she will be conserving her energy for the final run stage.
“I know myself well, and I know that I am good at running, so that is where I am going to go all out.
“But the swim stage is not my strong suit as I only mastered swimming three years ago, the last event to master compared to running and biking,” she added.
Meanwhile, the fastest Malaysian female finisher at the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast Serena Yang said she does not want to put more pressure on herself for the half-Ironman race that will be taking place simultaneously with the full-distance race.
“I don't have a target time for this Saturday’s race because I really don’t want to burden myself even more because the course here is vastly different from the course in Desaru.
“I am hoping to be the first female Malaysian to cross the line again, but we will have to wait and see for that,” said Serena.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games triathlete added that the bike course is truly an uphill challenge for her as the route runs through hilly terrain.
“It is definitely much more challenging than Desaru, but I really hope the weather is good, maybe some rain would also help with keeping my body temperature cool during the race.”
Ironman Malaysia offers up to 55 qualifying slots for the 2023 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, while there are 30 slots available for Ironman 70.3 Langkawi participants to the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland. – The Vibes, November 3, 2022.
