Down but not out: Injured Syed Saddiq completes Ironman Malaysia race

Despite having to endure pain to reach the finish line of the Malaysian Ironman Championship due to being hit by a fallen tree branch, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman managed to finish his maiden participation in more than 13 hours.

The 31-year-old former youth and sports minister completed all three disciplines - swimming for 3.8km, cycling for 180km and running for 42.2km.

"Before the incident, heavy rain and thunderstorm had caused the tree to fall and block the entire road... At that time, I was cycling and an athlete was on my right.

"At the same time, the car passed there, so I wouldn't want to push the athlete. At that time, the route was also downhill and the speed was within 30km per hour, so I couldn't do anything," he recalled when met at the finish line of the Ironman Malaysia Championship today.

He said when he fell, the first thing that crossed his mind was if the incident would be the end of his race and whether he would be able to finish the race but he was determined to complete the remaining cycling discipline.

"My mother did not teach me to give up, but during the run, it was very painful... When I fell off the bike, my body was bruised and my right leg hurt due to the impact of hitting a tree branch, so it was difficult to maintain the momentum.

"In my mind, I just wanted to finish this tournament even though I lost about 30 minutes due to the incident, but I am still grateful that there is no broken bone... There were bruises and bleeding but that is normal," he said.

Syed Saddiq, who was greeted by his mother, Shariffah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz, 64, and his father, Syed Abdul Rahman Abdullah, 71, upon arriving at the finish line, said he dedicated the Ironman Malaysia medal to both of them for their unwavering support.

"This is also a gift for my father in conjunction with his birthday on Oct 31, those who educated me to be a fighter...Thank you also to all the volunteers who were quick to help me during the incident, they were quick to provide first aid by pulling out the thorns one by one from my body.

“Although the incident happened in my maiden race, I am 110 percent sure I will participate in the Ironman Langkawi next year,” he said.

- Bernama

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