A great news from UPNM for the very first leg of 2011 Malakoff University Duathlon Series (MUDS). Congratulation to Ong & Gan for podium finish and also Wong for competed in MUDS. I always will be praying for you greatest performance for your each race.
Here is the article from The Star.
EVEN with home-ground advantage, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia’s (UPNM) Chan Jun Shen failed in his bid to defend the men’s individual title of the Malakoff University Duathlon Series (MUDS) held during the weekend.
Chan, a final-year student, wanted to make it a memorable outing for his team which he has been representing for the last four series. However, he managed only a third placing.
The race was won by Ong Wei Xiang from UTM while compatriot Gan Shih Chau, came a close second.
“I am thrilled to win. I joined the Malakoff Duathlon Series this year to set new standards for myself and bring pride to my university,” said Ong, a final year civil engineering student.
“Hopefully this win will contribute to help UTM win the Top University trophy at the end of the series,’’ he added.
Go for it: Fellow particpants cheering on Sabki to the finishing line in the MUDS series. However, UPNM erased the disappointment by making a clean sweep of the top four spots in the women’s individual.
Nurasyikin Masri emerged champion with Noor Fitrah Md Saad, Zurul Afinaz Zamani, Nor Asmidar Zulkipli, coming out second, third and fourth respectively. The only spoiler in the top five was Siti Nor Intan Nor Ali of UiTM.
In the men’s Open, Sharul Ambri Mohd Noor emerged tops while Nor Juliana Ali was victorious in the women’s Open category.
The first leg of the Malakoff University Duathlon tri-series (MUDS) 2011 kicked-off with 195 athletes competing for incentives worth a total of RM25,000.
The inaugural MUDS was held in 2003 with 321 participants. With increasing awareness and interest in duathlons, the race has gained popularity amongst the local athletes. It garnered a total of of 881 entries in 2009, the highest so far.
The 3km Run-13.8km Bike-3km Run race in UPNM was divided into four categories. They were the University Category (men’s and women’s), Open Category (men’s and women’s), Media Category (men’s and women’s) and the Team Relay Catego-ry (men’s and mixed).
In addition to placing medals for the top winners, Malakoff has also introduced the University Incentive which rewards cheque prizes of RM3,000 to universities with a contingent of 50 individual participants and five teams.
This year’s MUDS also witnessed the triumph of the mind over physical limitations when 30-year-old Mohd Sabki Arifin put in his best effort, despite losing an arm in an accident in 2000.
Not one to give up in the face of adversities, he received cheers and encouragement from the spectators as well as other participants.
“Although the initial years were very challenging, I was never afraid to fight back and prove that I can overcome any physical disability. Sporting events such as the Malakoff University Duathlon Series have helped me prove that.
“Today I feel all the long days of rigorous training have been worth it,” said the courageous administration officer who only begun training in duathlons after the accident.
Following the first-leg at UPNM, the event will continue at Universiti Putra Malaysia tomorrow and wrap up with a grand finale at Universiti Malaya on Oct 15.
Story and photos by CHARLES FERNANDEZ
metro@thestar.com.my
original article here
