Terengganu draw first blood as Hazwani strikes time trial gold

KUALA LUMPUR: In their ongoing rivalry with Johor, Terengganu made an early impact at the Selangor Malaysia Games road cycling competition that kicked off in Bagan Lalang on Sunday. Dahlia Hazwani Hasyim from Terengganu took home the women's individual time trial gold after clocking 31 minutes and 7.044 seconds in the 23-kilometre race. Johor's Intan Suraya Tokiman and Nurina Qistina Zahraa Dewa Indra secured silver and bronze, respectively.

Terengganu's head coach Syed Husaini Syed Mazlan expressed his admiration for Hazwani's performance, comparing it favorably to the achievements of Malaysia's top rider, Nur Aisyah Zubir from previous editions of the games. Husaini revealed that the team had been concentrating on improving specific aspects during a recent training camp in Thailand, and this effort clearly paid off. He emphasized that Hazwani's performance was among the best of the games, though not quite as impressive as Aisyah's previous accomplishments.

Hazwani still has the women's team time trial, criterium, and mass start road race to compete in on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, respectively. However, Husaini is well aware of the formidable competition ahead. He pointed out that Terengganu's main rivals will undoubtedly be Johor. The coach admitted that it's difficult to predict the winner as the competition level continues to escalate with each edition. Furthermore, he stressed that the outcome may also depend on the rider's condition on the day of the event.

Terengganu dominated the overall medal table for cycling at Sarawak 2024, clinching five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals.