PETALING JAYA: Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri still had reason to smile despite losing her 1km time trial crown, while para cyclist Mohd Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin stole the spotlight with a dominant clean sweep on the final day of the Asian Championships in Tagaytay, Philippines.
Izzah, who won the event in Nilai last year, clocked 1:06.916 to settle for silver as China’s Luo Xuehang set a new Asian record of 1:05.120 to take gold, with South Korea’s Hwang Hyeon-seo claiming bronze.
It was a mixed campaign for the 23-year-old, who earlier suffered disappointment in the keirin after being relegated to fifth for a technical infringement and missed out on sprint bronze after losing both heats to China’s Yuan Liyuan.
However, she still leaves with two medals, including silver in the team sprint alongside Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid and Anis Amira Rosidi, where the trio also set a new national record.
The Paris Olympian will now turn her focus to the Track World Cup final leg in Nilai from April 24 to 26.
In contrast, Yusof enjoyed a flawless championship, securing his fourth gold after overhauling Saudi Arabia’s Mohd Al-Marri in the C1-C5 individual pursuit final.
The reigning para sprint world champion had earlier completed wins in the sprint, 1km time trial and elimination events, choosing to skip the scratch race to focus on his main events.
“This competition is an important gauge for my readiness for the Asian Para Games in Japan,” said the 28-year-old Yusof, who hails from Kuala Kangsar.
Mohd Fadhil Zonis missed out on a medal in the men's elite 1km time trial after finishing fourth in the final with a time of 1:00.832s.
Kazakhstan's Kurdidi Kirill took gold with 59.915s ahead of China's Xie Han (59.929s) and last year's winner Ryuto Ichida of Japan (1:00.614s).
