Radzman soldiers on despite bike accident to win first duathlon title despite bike accident

A BATTERED and bruised Mohd Nur Radzman Mohd Munib (pic) didn’t just overcome a crash in Langkawi to compete in the Morib Duathlon held at Dataran Pantai Morib, Kuala Langat, on Aug 25 — he went on to triumph in it.

The 26-year-old army officer, based at Terendak Camp in Melaka, endured visible injuries from a folding bike accident just a day before, yet his determination saw him claim his first career duathlon title.

The soldier’s face, arms and legs bore the scars of his Langkawi crash, but the setback only fuelled his resolve.

Refusing to be sidelined, Nur Radzman flew to Kuala Lumpur the same evening and headed straight to Morib, where he faced his next challenge — the Olympic-standard duathlon.

“I crashed after just 1 km during the folding bike competition in Langkawi. I suffered bruises to my upper lip, chin, arms, and left thigh,” he said.

“However, I didn’t let that stop me. I still took a flight out and stayed at a homestay for the duathlon.”

Radzman, who only recently began participating in duathlon events, found winning the title here particularly meaningful.

“I’m a runner and only started competing in cycling and duathlon events this year, so this victory is especially memorable. I hope it will inspire me to achieve even more in future competitions.”

In a show of true grit, he crossed the finish line in an impressive 1’59:40, edging out Lokman Hakim Razali, who clocked 2’01:19, and Jasry Maradius, who took third with a time of 2’03:11.

Having joined the Malaysian army in 2020 and later being selected for its cycling team, Radzman views this victory as a stepping stone toward his ultimate goal — representing Malaysia at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

On the women’s side, 35-year-old Tahira, a mother of four and a silver medallist at the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games, expressed pride in her ability to compete and win against younger athletes.

Despite her success, she remains uncertain about representing Malaysia again, prioritising her family over international competitions.

“I’m just enjoying my races without thinking about winning,” she said.

“For international competitions, it might be better to pick younger athletes.”

Both Radzman and Tahira have secured complimentary entries to the Titan 77.7 Philippines, a long-distance duathlon event set for Sept 15.