Training with men pays dividends as Nabilah bags historic fourth XCO gold

Sungai Buloh witnessed a historic moment as mountain biker Nurul Nabilah Asri claimed Kedah's fourth consecutive gold in the women's cross-country Olympic event at the Selangor Malaysia Games. The 21-year-old, who had previously placed second in 2022 and 2024, dominated with a time of 1 hour, 16 minutes and 40 seconds, with teammate Zahra Afifah Zamri completing a 1-2 finish for Kedah.

Qisya Batrisyia Othman of Selangor rounded out the podium, finishing a full one minute and fifty-four seconds behind Nabilah. The victory marked a significant win for Kedah, a state that had historically dominated the event, with previous golds going to Nabilah's elder sister Izzah Izzati Asri (2018) and Phi Kun Pan (2022, 2024).

Nabilah attributed her success to intensive training, including sessions with Kedah's men's squad, in which she aimed to match their pace despite struggling to keep up. The wet and slippery track added an extra layer of difficulty to the race, emphasizing the importance of carefully chosen attacks. Nabilah, who described it as her last Sukma competition, expressed her intent to win medals in all upcoming races, including the women's team time trial, road race, team sprint, team pursuit, and track scratch race.

She also mentioned her love for road cycling and expects to be a top contender in the women's individual road race next week. Both Nabilah and her sister Izzah were nurtured by Kedah's top coach Alfizar Othman, who is also their aunt.