SITI Nur Adibah Akma Mohd Fuad (pic) is one tough cookie.
She may be hurting after a minor fall two days ago but the 23-year-old showed her mental resilience to power to another two gold medals for Johor in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) road cycling competition in Sendayan, Negri Sembilan.
Despite getting herself marked out, Adibah managed to make her way to the front to take the women’s individual road race gold medal.
She completed the 113.6km distance ride in 3’18:04 followed by Federal Territories’ Yeong Zhen Yi (3’20:23) and Nor Aisyah Munirah Chek Ramli of Terengganu (3’23:46).
Adibah then anchored Johor comprising Haziatul Eisya Suhardi, Noormastura Norman and Nur Syafika Natasha Kadir to pick up the team gold with a combined time of 10’05:36.
Terengganu settled for silver with 10’11:18 and Kedah clinched the bronze with 10’11:25.
Adibah emerged as the first gold medallist in the 20th Sukma edition after winning the women’s individual road time trial event on Wednesday.
She was grinning from ear to ear after achieving her hattrick of gold medals.
“I didn’t expect to win the individual gold. I had a minor injury and it was also cold at the start of the race due to rain in the early stage,” said Adibah.
“I was also tightly marked by the other riders, so the initial plan was to help my teammates win.
“We could only make a few attacks because I was tightly marked but in the final 20km, I tried to launch ahead of the FT rider to take the lead but I couldn’t.
“I tried again in the final 15km mark when she got tired and this time I managed to overtake.”
Adibah will compete in the women’s criterium today before shifting her focus to the track events in Nilai from Monday, where she will take part in team pursuit, omnium, individual pursuit and scratch races.
“My goal is to win three or four individual gold medals ... I have a few more events to go.”
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