Nabilah sprints to third gold, inches closer to sister's benchmark

In the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) held in Sepang, Kedah's Nurul Nabilah Asri secured her third gold medal, inching closer to her elder sister's impressive benchmark. Nabilah triumphed in the women's mass start road race individual category, outpacing Johor's Intan Suraya Tokiman and Kedah teammate Zahra Afifah Zamri in a bunch sprint finish.

The grueling 90km race took place in overcast conditions, starting and ending in Bagan Lalang. Nabilah's teammate Zasqia Amni Zamri was forced to withdraw due to a severe knee injury, requiring an ambulance to the finish line. The challenging race saw Johor and Terengganu make multiple breakaway attempts, forcing Nabilah to navigate a strategic path through the field.

She expressed gratitude for the gold and bronze medals in the individual event. Kedah fell short of the team category gold by Terengganu, while Johor secured the third spot. Both teams were equal on time, separated only by their riders' positions in the bunch sprint. Nabilah, who also won the women's criterium on Tuesday and the mountain bike cross-country gold last week, now requires just one gold to match her sister's four golds won in the 2022 Kuala Lumpur edition.

Izzah, who joined the national elite track squad in 2022, has already claimed three golds at the Asian Championships. Nabilah will next compete in track events at the National Velodrome in Nilai over the weekend. She is optimistic about winning more medals but acknowledges the strong competition, particularly in the scratch race event on Sunday, where she will face top riders like Johor's Nur Alyssa Farid, who is also Izzah's teammate in the national track squad.