Stephanie to bank on cycling for a good finish

Duathlon will be making its debut in the SEA Games and Stephanie Chok wants to make her presence felt together with Mariana Mohamed in Pattaya on Dec 8.

However, it is not the first time that Stephanie will be competing in the Games. She took part in road cycling in the 2001 Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The duathlon event at the Games is a 10km run, 40km cycling and 5km run race. Athletes from Thailand and the Philippines are seen as the front-runners for the gold medal.

“Cycling is my strong point and I aim to finish among the top in this sector of the race to create a chance for a good finish,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie: Won the Triathlete of The Year award for the second consecutive time.

The 26-year-old only started full-time training for the Games two-weeks ago. She is currently working as a research assistant at the Universiti Malaya and pursuing her Masters in Sports Science at the University Technology Mara.

“I have been concentrating on my studies in recent months. It has been difficult for me since I have to juggle my time for my job, studies as well as training,” she said.

“My exams finished in October. I have more time now for training. I will be training for at least five hours daily.”

Stephanie, who took up the sport eight years ago, received a morale boost recently, winning the Powerbar Women's Triathlete of The Year award for the second consecutive time.

“Two years ago, triathlon made its SEA Games debut in Manila. Now we have duathlon and it is a good sign that this endurance sport is slowly making a mark,” she said.

“If we win medals, it will further boost the profile of duathlon and triathlon in the country. We will give our best in Pattaya.”