PHNOM PENH: The country’s elite men’s road racing squad has been warned not to be overconfident of their chances of defending their gold medal in the mass start event at the 2023 SEA Games.
The team which features cyclists from the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Sapura Cycling Team (TSC) are favourites for winning the event.
Squad manager Norazman Abu Samah has advised the national squad to be wary of Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, who have also sent professional squads to the event which will take place in Siem Reap, located about 320 kilometres from Phnom Penh.
“On paper, the Malaysian road racing team is considered very strong because it has TSG and Sapura (TSC) professional racers. However, do not underestimate the strength of Thailand, Indonesia or the Philippines.
“I have also urged them not to underestimate the quality of the Laos riders. They pulled off a surprise at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, where at that time, the Malaysian riders were ahead and there was only 30 km left in the race,“ he said in a statement issued by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) today.
Norazman, who is also the vice president of MNCF, said that all the riders must work together to realise their goal of defending the gold medal in Siam Reap later.
“They must maintain the spirit shown in Vietnam. In this regard, I commend Datuk Ng Joo Ngan for his amazing strategies and the way he inspired the professional riders at the last Games,“ he said.
If they win the gold this time around, the team would have a good chance to feature in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September.
“I have emphasised to them that the ticket to the Asian Games depends a lot on the success in the 2023 SEA Games,“ he said.
The road cycling event begins on Thursday (May 11). –Bernama