From broken ribs to Asian Games silver: Cyclist Aliana's remarkable comeback

KUALA LUMPUR: After suffering serious injuries, Malaysian cyclist Aliana Azizan almost gave up on her sport. In 2024, she crashes during training, breaking her ribs and sustaining a concussion, which left her unsure about competing at the Asian Games. However, Aliana, alongside teammates Izzah Izzati Asri, Nur Alyssa Farid, and Anis Amira Rosidi, demonstrated remarkable resilience.

Together, they set a new national record and secured a silver medal in the women's team sprint at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games today. Aliana competed in three rounds, helping Malaysia break the Asian record with a time of 48.566 seconds. Izzah, Anis, and Alyssa achieved a record-breaking time of 48.023 seconds in the first round, earning their spot in the final.

Despite the fatigue and tough competition from China, Aliana expressed pride in her team's performance, acknowledging the challenge of beating China. While admitting her doubts before the Games, Aliana credits her determination for her improved performance, now surpassing her previous best time of 20.2 seconds. She expressed her desire to bring her team to the Olympics and hopes to achieve this dream.