PUTRAJAYA: It was an emotional finish for national triathlete Isaac Tan as he crossed the line to be the fastest Malaysian at the Asia Triathlon Cup in Putrajaya yesterday.
Isaac completed the 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run course in 57:59, placing him in 26th out of the 68 elite athletes in the men’s category at the Water Sports Complex in Precinct 6.
The 19-year-old was proud of his achievement despite almost breaking his best sprint finish time of 57:55 set at the Asia Triathlon Cup in Subic Bay last year.
“What a way to kick off the 2024 season, it is indeed a good way to start the year like this.
“This race was quite an emotional one for me, I had to push hard.
“I enjoyed the bike course but my stomach felt unwell during the run, I just pushed through and it got better after crossing the line.
“Moving forward, I want to be more consistent but I’ve to push myself to the limit, regardless of stomach cramps, I have to push,” said Isaac.
Australia’s Christopher Deegan emerged as the winner with a stellar time of 53:22 despite the scorching heat, ahead of China’s Fan Junjie (53:52) and Austrian Philip Pertl (54:15) in third.
“I’m used to it being hot but not humid like this. So it was a bit different for me. But I’m relieved because I executed every part of the race as well as I could.
“I’m surprised by the win, but I know that my training suggested that I was capable of winning it,” said Deegan.
Meanwhile, in the women’s elite category, triathlete Esther Joy Chen finished as the fastest Malaysian with her time of 1’08:15 as she too experienced the heat’s effect on the race.
“It was really hot, especially on the run and bike course, but it wasn’t a bother since this is a sprint distance,” she said.
“This is one of my first sprint races. The challenge for me was swimming in a lake because you can’t see anything, it makes you lose your bearings,” said Esther, who is a seasoned Ironman finisher and open-water swimmer.
The top women’s elite title went to 2021 European champion Julie Derron of Switzerland.
The world No. 22’s impressive time of 57:29 gave her a second win in Asia and keeps her on course to qualify for the Paris Olympics as the top 26 get their tickets to the Games.
Hong Kong’s Bailee Brown came in second with her time of 59:03, while Swiss athlete Alanis Siffert closed out the podium, clocking in 59:35.
ELITE
Men: 1. Christopher Deegan (Aus) 53:22, 2. Fan Junjie (Chn) 53:52, 3. Philip Pertl (Aut) 54:15.
Selected: 26. Isaac Tan (57:59), 41. Yap Qi Yi (1’01:39), 43. Benjamin John Chen (1’02:33), 45. Martyn Lim (1’02:38), 46. Khairil Azhar (1’02:54), 47. Lee Wen Jun (1’04:02), 48. Pang Keat Tung (1’04:18), 49. Amri Ikhsaan Yazdani (1’04:46), 50. Daniel John
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