Ling Er’s Ironman hattrick will linger on

Choo Ling Er roars with joy as she charges down the chute to seal her three-peat at Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast.

KOTA TINGGI: Choo Ling Er was in a league of her own as she stormed to her third consecutive win at the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast in the women’s overall category.

The race, held along the scenic Desaru coastline in Johor yesterday, saw nearly 1,000 participants from 45 countries take on the gruelling challenge, which comprised a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride, and a 21.1km run.

The Singaporean completed the course in 4’:55.26s, emerging as the fastest woman in the field. Australia’s Claudia Sabine came in second with a time of 5’:17.19, followed by Thailand’s Ota Satowa, who clocked 5’:22.48 to finish third.

“I was actually recovering from a leg injury three months ago, so I came in feeling unsure about how my run would go. I was pretty confident in my swim and bike, and I’m really happy with how both turned out today. The run was the biggest uncertainty for me, so I’m really relieved it went smoothly without any pain or problems.

“Right now, I’m looking forward to building up for the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, which is five months away,” said Ling Er after the race.

In the men’s overall category, Australia’s Jed Radbone sprung a surprise by beating several favourites to be the first to cross the finish line in 4’:13.02s.

Even more impressively, this marks his first career victory in triathlon since taking up the sport in 2021.

The 25-year-old revealed that he initially got into triathlon, starting with swimming, as part of his recovery process following a serious accident that nearly left him unable to walk.

“I was at the hotel and saw a few guys with shaved legs and some pretty big calves, and I started getting a bit worried. So I just had to focus on my own race and push hard,” said Radbone.

‘’I think I rode the hardest I ever have and suffered a bit during the run. Thankfully, I had built up a decent gap and managed to hold on to the lead.

“When I was younger, I had a serious accident and nearly lost the ability to walk. I broke my pelvis in four places. So to be involved in a sport that demands so much from the human body, I’m just really grateful. I feel incredibly lucky to even be able to get out there and run.’’

Meanwhile, former national rower Mohd Rabani Hashim was pleasantly surprised to emerge as the fastest Malaysian this year after overtaking several favourites, including Shahrom Abdullah, who suffered technical issues during the bike leg.

Rabani, who competed at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, recorded a time of 4’:57:19.

As for the Malaysian women’s category, Chia Shio Yuan bounced back from last year’s disappointment to finish as the fastest local woman with a time of 5’:33:57.