CINDY WARMS UP FOR SEA GAMES WITH WOMEN’S SPRINT VICTORY IN KUALA LANGAT

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Rising national triathlete Cindy Sui produced an encouraging performance ahead of her SEA Games debut in Thailand next week, claiming the women’s sprint title at the Aquathlon Kuala Langat 2025 at Lover’s Bridge, Tanjung Sepat, today.

The statement said Cindy, 27, clocked 34 minutes and 33 seconds (34:33s) to finish the contest which combined a 750m swim and 5km run, ahead of Chan May Yan (37:37s) and Shannon Liaw (40:49s). 

“This race gave me a really good feel of how I want to execute my performance at the SEA Games, especially because aquathlon will be the first event for me there. 

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“Today wasn’t an ‘A race’ for me, but it was still an important chance to assess how my body responds and where I need to tidy things up," she said in the statement, today. 

The former Sarawak state swimmer said switching sports was a major turning point in her career.

“I’ve been a competitive swimmer since I was young, but in Malaysia the highest level I reached was SUKMA. I couldn’t break into the national team, so I thought that dream of representing the country was already gone. 

“When I came into triathlon, everything changed. I never imagined endurance sport for myself, but here I am finally able to wear national colours on a big stage. It feels like one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said. 

Meanwhile, armed forces personnel corporal Khairil Azhar Abdul Wahid delivered the standout result in the men’s Olympic distance (1.5km swim-10km run), storming to victory in 1:05:23s ahead of Jeremy Tan (1:06:16s) and Indra Abunawas (1:07:43s).

“I’m really happy to finally win after finishing second (behind national athlete Yap Qi Yi) last year. He’s not racing this time because he’s preparing for the SEA Games, so I tried to make the most of the opportunity and improve on my performance," said Khairil, whose podium finish today was his 10th of the year.

This year marked the third edition of Aquathlon Kuala Langat, staged against the scenic backdrop of the Strait of Malacca along the 300-metre Lover’s Bridge in Tanjung Sepat.

The event drew approximately 550 participants representing 18 countries, with athletes travelling from as far as Uruguay, Greece and Canada across multiple age-group and open categories.

-- BERNAMA