SELANGOR: Afif Darwysh may have crossed the finish line first, but Sarawak had two reasons to celebrate after the men’s individual time trial at SUKMA XXII today, with Muhammad Danial Hakim joining him on the podium.
Afif produced a commanding ride over the 29.5km course at Persiaran Pantai Utara, Sepang, clocking 37 minutes 12.633 seconds to claim the gold medal.
His performance saw him average 47.567km/h and finish 12.936 seconds ahead of Johor’s Muhammad Nazirul Aniq Abd Rahman, who settled for silver in 37:25.569.
Danial completed Sarawak’s medal haul after stopping the clock at 37:39.644, just 27.011 seconds behind his winning teammate, to secure bronze.
The result gave Sarawak two of the three medals on offer, underlining the strength of its time trial squad.
Afif maintained his advantage over Nazirul in a tightly contested race, while Danial stayed within striking distance of the leaders to secure the final podium spot.
All 22 riders who started the event completed the 29.5km course, with no withdrawals recorded.
For Sarawak, the gold and bronze haul adds another strong result to its SUKMA XXII campaign, with Afif emerging as the state’s fastest rider on the day and Danial further underlining Sarawak’s depth in the discipline.
Present at the medal presentation were Assistant Chef-de-Mission for cycling, Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim, and Sarawak Cycling Association’s (SCA) President, Irawan Sudarsono, and Deputy President, Mohd Hairulnizam Mohd Zamri.
