NATIONAL track cycling ace Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri continued to shine in the ASEAN Track Series (President’s Cup) 3 when she bagged gold in the women’s elite keirin event at the National Velodrome here today.
This makes up for the disappointment of missing out on the gold medal in Series 2 of the championships last week when she lost to South Korean rider Kim Haeun in the same event.
This is the 21-year-old Nurul Izzah’s fifth gold medal, having clinched two in Series 1, one in Series 2 and two in Series 3.
In today’s final, the Pocket Rocket Woman as the rider from Sungai Petani, Kedah is nicknamed, clocked the fastest time of 11.200 seconds (s) for the gold medal, leaving the South Korean rider trailing in her wake for the silver medal.
Another South Korean cyclist, Hwang Hyeonseo took bronze while Malaysia’s Nurul Alyssa Mohd Farid could only finish fifth.
Elaborating, Nurul Izzah said she was pleased with her performance today as she managed to make amends for last week’s loss to Haeun by winning the gold this time.
“I was well rested and learned from my mistake. I knew her tactics and I was more confident this time.
“But, after this, at the (Feb 21-27) Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) Track Cycling Championships (ACC 2025) at the same venue, surely there will be many more outstanding riders from South Korea... so, I will have to be prepared,” she said.
For the record, Nurul Izzah also won the keirin gold in Series 1 and silver in Series 2; in addition to three sprint gold medals in Series 1, 2 and 3.
