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.”

Duathlon: World No.1 Csomor back to defend women’s crown

World number one Erika Csomor of Hungary will be back to defend her title in the women's elite category in the Malakoff Powerman Malaysia 2007 Duathlon championships in Lumut on Nov 11.

Csomor clocked 3'06:13 to clinch the crown in Lumut last year. Michelle Parsons of England finished second on 3’07:59 while Reka Brassay of Hungary was third after clocking 3’14:03.

Belgium's world number one Benny Vansteelant won the men's crown last year. He passed away in September following a road accident.

This time, Joerie Vansteelant is the favourite for the men's title. He is the current world number one.

More than 560 participants, including Malaysians, will be vying for honours. A total of RM132,000 in prize money is up for grabs in the various categories.

Shahrom Abdullah and Heidlee Mohamed will be leading Malaysia's challenge in the men's category. Mariana Mohamed, who finished a creditable fifth last year, and Stephanie Chok Kui Eng will be Malaysia's strong challengers in the women's category. All four are preparing for the Korat SEA Games in December.

Shahrom said the race would be an ideal warm-up before the Games.

“There is a lack of competition in the country and the Malakoff Powerman gives me the opportunity to race against the best athletes,” said Shahrom at the launch of the event yesterday.

The duathlon involves an 11km run, a 64km bike race and then another 10km race. There will be three categories contested - individual (11km run-64km bike-10km run), Malakoff Power Relay (11km run-64km bike-10km run) and Malakoff Sprint Duathlon (5.5km run-32km bike-5km run).

Double Joy for Razani, Stephanie

From the NST

Muhd Razani Husain (left) and Stephanie Chok with their Powerbar Triathletes of The Year 2007 cheque and trophy at the prize-giving ceremony at Wisma OCM on Wednesday. — Pic: HAIRUL ANUAR ABD RAHIM


IT was double joy for Muhd Razani Husain and Stephanie Chok as they were not only crowned the Powerbar Triathletes of The Year 2007 but have also been included in the squad to December’s Korat Sea Games.

Razani, 39, was included in the triathlon team, while Stephanie was included in the duathlon team.Triathlon Association of Malaysia (TRIAM) president Cheah Choon Nam said the association is looking forward to a good outing by the duo.“These athletes were chosen mainly because of their discipline and attitude which we believe are are more important than their performance in certain tournaments,” said Choon Nam when naming the Sea Games squad on Wednesday.“We are aiming for two medals in the duathlon and hope that Kimberley (Yap) will be able to defend her triathlon gold.,”

Besides Razali, Stephanie and Kimberley, the squad includes Shahrom Abdullah, Heidilee Muhamad, Mariana Muhamad (duathlon) and Wei Kuo Hau and Ooi Chiew Wei (triathlon). Stephanie, named Triathlete of The Year for a second straight time, is happy to be chosen for the Sea Games but is worried about the short time she has to prepare for Korat. “I am really lucky to have defended the title because I won it by a difference of only 10 accumulated points since I skipped the race in Port Dickson because of my class.“It is difficult to juggle between my training, studies and work,” said the Sabahan, who is a research assistant at the Universiti Malaya Sports Centre and is also pursuing her Masters of Sports Science at the University Technology Mara.“My exam will finish at the end of this month and, hopefully, I will get more time to train,” added the 26-year-old Stephanie who will be competing in her second Sea Games.She competed in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games as a road race cyclist.