Syed Saddiq admits ‘honest mistake’ in triathlon

PETALING JAYA: Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has admitted that a mistake in the 113 Triathlon Desaru 2024 last weekend led to him being awarded third place.His status in the triathlon has now been changed to “DNF” (did not finish).

“(I just received a) detailed breakdown lap by lap at every checkpoint from the technical team.

“After cross-referencing this with my smart watch data, there was a mistake and I take full responsibility for it,” he said on X yesterday. Syed Saddiq said he received new data explaining that on the first loop of the bicycle course, he had circled the Olympic race loop instead of the 113 Triathlon loop.

“This was an honest mistake on my part. Despite double-checking the problem during the race and notifying the technical team, I should have been more responsible.”

Syed Saddiq offered his apologies to the triathlon community and added that he should have been more careful.

“I am a newbie and I look forward to improving. After speaking to the organisers and the technical representative, it is best that my status be designated as DNF.

“They also acknowledged that this was an honest mistake,” he added.

Syed Saddiq previously denied cheating in the triathlon after an unknown social media account alleged that he did not finish the three loops of the bicycle course and had instead only completed two loops.

“Throughout the race, I wore my ankle bracelet at all times, which (recorded the time), and I passed all the checkpoints.

“When I realised I finished faster than expected on the bike course, I even double-checked with the technical team.

“I specifically told the representative ‘Saya tak nak tipu ya’ (I don’t want to cheat), please check,” he said in an earlier video shared on Instagram.