Sukma: Training with men pays off as Nabilah seals historic fourth gold

Sungai Buloh hosted the Selangor Malaysia Games, where mountain biker Nurul Nabilah Asri delivered a historic fourth gold medal in the women's cross-country Olympic event. The 21-year-old Kedah native, who had previously won silver in 2021, clocked one hour, 16 minutes and 40 seconds to secure her victory. Her teammate Zahra Afifah Zamri added an 8-second gap, making it a 1-2 finish for Kedah at the Denai Peladang Bike Park course.

Qisya Batrisyia Othman, also from Selangor, finished in third place, over a minute and a half behind Nabilah.

Nabilah, who has a twin sister and a younger sister, had trained with Kedah's men's cycling squad to prepare for the competition. She expressed her pride in defending the gold medal for Kedah and revealed that she pushed herself during training, even if she struggled to keep up with the men. The race was challenging due to wet and slippery conditions, so Nabilah had to carefully choose her attacking points.

Nabilah emphasized that this was her final Sukma, an under-21 competition, and her goal was to win a medal in each event she competes in. Future events include the women's team time trial, road race, and various track races. Nabilah, who enjoys road cycling the most, is expected to be a favorite for gold in the women's individual road race the following week. Her performance was a result of her development under Kedah's head coach Alfizar Othman, who is also her aunt.