SELANGOR: There was no room for individual glory as Sarawak’s cyclists put their heads down, covered attacks and worked together as a team.
That approach has served them well in the road cycling events at SUKMA XXII, with the squad now having collected one gold and two bronze medals.
Afif Darwysh Mohamad led the way by winning gold in the men’s individual time trial, while teammate Muhammad Danial Hakim took bronze in the same event.
Afif then returned to the podium in the men’s criterium on Wednesday (Aug. 19), securing another bronze after completing all 24 laps of the 55.2km race.
For Sarawak Cycling Association’s (SCA) President, Irawan Sudarsono, the latest medal was another reflection of the team’s willingness to work for one another rather than chase individual glory.
“We are very pleased with the bronze medal in the Men’s Criterium. Realistically, this was not one of the events where we had set a gold-medal target, so to come away with a medal is a very positive result for Sarawak,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
Irawan said the criterium required every rider to understand their role, from positioning and covering attacks to controlling situations and helping put Afif in the best possible position to fight for the result.
“Our riders understood their respective roles and worked for one another. The bronze therefore belongs not only to the rider who secured it, but is also a reflection of the commitment and sacrifice of the whole team, together with the coaches and support staff,” he said.
Afif finished the criterium with 10 points, behind Terengganu’s Zulfahmi Aiman Zulkurnain and Melaka’s Muhammad Hafiq Mohd Jafri, who took gold and silver respectively with 13 points.
Irawan said every medal was valuable to Sarawak and hoped the same team spirit would carry the squad through its remaining events.
“Every medal counts for Sarawak. This result shows what we can achieve when we race as a unit, and I hope we carry that same spirit and teamwork into the remaining events,” he said.
