Bangkok: The stellar performance of Malaysia's track cycling sprint team at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, which concluded today, signals their potential to shine at the highest levels, including the Olympic Games.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, National Sports Council Director-General Jefri Ngadirin expressed his admiration for the energetic rides of Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis, Mohamad Akmal Nazimi Jusena, and Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom. The team not only clinched gold but also broke the national men's team sprint record with a new timing of 1 minute 0.520 seconds.
The trio defeated Thailand's team at the Hua Mark Velodrome, erasing the previous record of 1:02.077s set by national track cycling stars Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, Josiah Ng, and Muhammad Edrus Md Yunos at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Jefri stated, "I feel we have a very bright opportunity (at the Olympics) and we have already produced the next generation to replace the current riders. So this is a very important indicator for us," during a media briefing summarising the performance of the national contingent at the SEA Games 2025.
Overall, the national track cycling team ended the campaign with four golds and one silver. Jefri also noted improvements in two sports that offer the most Olympic medals - athletics and swimming.
In athletics, Malaysia added five gold medals from Thailand, including a near-miss by national pole vault champion Andre Anura Anuar, whose attempt at a hat-trick was foiled by Vietnam's Ho Trong Manh Hung.
The national swimming team collected two golds, three silvers, and five bronzes, while displaying encouraging performances with five new national records. This included 19-year-old Tong Yu Jing, who broke the 50m freestyle men's national record with a time of 22.48 seconds, surpassing Bryan Leong's 22.91s set in the United Kingdom last May.
Jefri commented, "I think we have better chances to increase our gold medal tally in swimming in 2027. We may not beat Singapore, but we hope to improve our medal count for the next SEA Games."