Junior cyclist finishes third in Europe

KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB-Junior Cycling Malaysia ( JCM) rider Fakhruazam Hanifiah, 18, proved his mettle in the 75km Ronde van Poeldijk race when he clinched third place among 25 under-19 semi- pro riders across Europe despite a dramatic fall in the final 500 metres.

CIMB Foundat ion chief executive officer Datuk Hamidah Naziadin said the foundation was proud of the podium finish in an elite cycling event.

“This race was part of the team’s international exposure to world- class races to help them raise their game by competing with top semi-pro cyclists across Europe.

Fakhruazam’s victory is not only a testament of his hard work and determination, but also of the effectiveness of CIMBJCM’s development programme in creating a talent pipeline of world- class athletes,” he said.

Fakhruazam is one of seven young cyclists who were sent to participate in 11 races across Bel g ium, F ranc e and the Netherlands in a 20- day racing programme cal led ‘ Path of Champions’, designed to groom high-potential junior talents into elite world- class cyclists.

They were chosen based on their performance in national races organised through the CIMB- JCM Junior Cycl ing Development Programme. They had under- gone a gruelling onemonth training and conditioning course to prepare them for the ‘Path of Champions’.

CIMB Foundation is a non-profit organisation set up to implement CIMB Group’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropic initiatives. — Bernama