TEEN triathlete Isaac Tan Zhen Wei (pic) is pumped up to race against his idols.
Following the withdrawal of teammate Chong Xian Hao, who has not recovered from an elbow injury, Isaac will have to go it alone in the competition today.
The 17-year-old Isaac, who has been diagnosed with autism since he was three, is thrilled to race alongside former world junior champion Matt Hauser of Australia, Alex Yee of the United Kingdom and New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.
He has not met any of them but knows their fighting spirit well, especially the 24-year-old Hauser.
After finishing fourth at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Hauser spent almost a year out recovering from injuries sustained in a training ride when he crashed into an opening car door.
After recovering, he claimed back-to-back World Cup wins in 2019 and claimed bronze at the Under-23 world meet in 2021.
“I’m feeling very excited to race with them because they are my idols and future friends,” said Isaac.
Triathlon is a physically demanding sport as it comprises three disciplines – swimming, biking and running.
“Biking is the most challenging because everyone will go all out. I can’t fall behind if I intend to keep pace with the leading pack,” he said.
A student at the Nexus International School Malaysia, Isaac sees his teacher, Madeleine Proud as someone important in his life.
“Miss Maddy kept me on track with school work and at the same time, gave me lots of support to go after my goals,” said Isaac.
“I will continue to train hard because there is a lot more that I have to improve. My dream is to become an Olympian.”
