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LANGKAWI – With blisters on both of her feet, Ann Pow somehow managed to cycle 180km and run 42.2km after swimming for 3.8km to be the first Malaysian female athlete to cross the finish line at the 2022 Ironman Malaysia.
The 2022 SEA Games duathlon athlete, who jumped into the sea at 7.45am yesterday to start her Ironman race, clocked in a final time of 11h 55m 44s, below her target time of 13 hours.
This feat also saw her qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii next year.
Speaking to the media after her race, the 26-year-old said she sustained her blisters after the rain poured down throughout the day, which led to her soggy shoes.
“Initially, I just ignored the pain from the blisters, because my coach Rupert Chen told me that I had the chance to be the fastest female Malaysian.
“So that gave me the motivation to put aside the pain and keep pushing harder,” she said.
Ann added that she had forgotten to wear her socks after the swim course, but it was not something unusual, as she had done that in Olympic distance races in the past.
“I thought I would be alright, but the pain eventually became worse, so I had to stop and apply Vaseline on the blisters.
“The pain was not too bad on the cycling route, and I was not the fastest on the bike anyway.
“But I ran very well at the end, which helped me make up for the time I lost because the pain eventually became numb,” she added.
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Meanwhile, in the men’s category, professional triathlete Shahrom Abdullah was the fastest Malaysian with his time of 10h 40m 55s.
Although the rain was heavy, Shahrom noted that he enjoys running in the rain as it helps him cool down during the race.
Shahrom said some parts of the bike route were flooded due to the rain, but it was a small bump in the road as he carried his bike to avoid it from getting damaged in the water.
He also said that yesterday’s race would be his final full-distance Ironman race, as he wants to focus on Ironman 70.3 races and other triathlete events.
In today’s race, Indonesia’s Andy Wibowo was the first male overall to cross the finish line first with a time of 9h 37m 58s, and Canada’s April Rice was first for the female category with her finishing time of 10h 19m 18s. – The Vibes, November 6, 2022
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