Royal feat
Terengganu Sultan creates history by winning medal.
SETIU: It took the “Mizan touch” for a gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017 in the equestrian endurance race for the individual event.
Terengganu Ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, donning the jersey number 111, created history when he came out tops to smash the Malaysian record in the individual event.
Sultan Mizan is the first Ruler to win such sporting honours. What made it even more special was that it was the Sultan’s maiden attempt at the SEA Games.
In the individual event, he began the 80km race at 3am at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong here and broke the record by three hours to complete the race with the horse “Rtes Annaversary”.
He passed the finishing line at 8.18am with a time of three hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds, breaking the Malaysian record of six hours and 26 minutes held by Mohd Sulaiman Muda at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.
In the team event, the national team recorded 11:31:30s, smashing the old record of 21:23:39s also set at the Myanmar Games.
Interviewed after the race, Sultan Mizan expressed his joy and gratitude to the all-round cooperation he had received.
The Ruler also spoke about his “chemistry” with the horse from Australia, with victories at various world championships over the past eight years.
Sultan Mizan said he trained daily for the Games without taking anything for granted although he
The desire to represent the nation came naturally. Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin
said the TIEP was like a “playground” to him.
“In order to take part in the event, several points had to be taken into consideration before being selected to represent Malaysia.
“The desire to represent the nation came naturally,” he added.
The Ruler also shared his “recipe” during the race, saying he filled up time talking with the other Malaysian athletes as they were always together since the start.
“I am thankful to Allah that everyone was safe and the event was held in the state of Terengganu, and had received overwhelming public response,” he said.
He congratulated the Malaysian team and manager Che Mat Din Ismail, all the riders, the groom crew, veterinary assistant, the farrier and all who had worked hard for the success of his team.
Four other countries – Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Brunei – took part in the competition.
Sultan Mizan said next May, Terengganu would hold the Asian Endurance Cup Championship, adding that he hoped that the state would host the World Junior Endurance Championship in future.
The Ruler also thanked the state government for backing the effort to create the endurance sport in the state
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak congratulated Sultan Mizan for winning the gold and breaking the SEA Games record.
“I and all Malaysians would like to congratulate Tuanku Mizan for being the first Sultan to win a SEA Games gold medal.
“A very proud moment for all Malaysians! # BangkitBersama #KL2017 #SukanSEA2017,” the PM tweeted. — Bernama