Did Syed Saddiq Really Cheat in the Desaru 113 Triathlon?
Source: The Rakyat Post
The burning question on Malaysian social media today is: “Did Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman cheat in the 113 Triathlon Desaru 2024?”
To unravel this, let’s start from the beginning. Syed Saddiq participated in the triathlon held in Desaru, Johor, last weekend (6-7 July). The event, hosted at the Sand and Sandals Desaru Beach Resort, featured multiple races, but the spotlight is on the 113 Triathlon, which included a two-kilometer swim, a 90-kilometer bike ride, and a 21-kilometer run.
After completing the race, Syed Saddiq took to Instagram to announce his third-place finish, marking his first podium win. He posted a photo with his trophy, detailing his swim, bike, and run segments, and stated his total time as 5 hours and 44 minutes. The post, which garnered over 24K likes, has since been deleted.
Controversy sparked when fellow runner Joshua Izham commented on the post, questioning Syed Saddiq’s timing. Joshua alleged that Syed Saddiq couldn’t have completed the bike course in 2 hours and 37 minutes, claiming he only did two loops (60 kilometers) instead of the required three (90 kilometers). Joshua pointed out that Syed Saddiq’s previous IRONMAN Desaru time was 3 hours and 31 minutes for the same course.
With Syed Saddiq’s post now deleted, only screenshots of Joshua’s allegations remain, fueling the controversy. Adding to the confusion, Eventure Global, the triathlon organizer, initially pronounced Syed Saddiq as the third-place winner and even posted photos of him on the podium.
Syed Saddiq Responds
Syed Saddiq quickly addressed the cheating allegations, initially releasing a statement and video promising full cooperation. He mentioned checking with the technical team during the race to ensure everything was in order. However, this statement was later deleted and replaced with an updated one.
In his revised statement, Syed Saddiq acknowledged a mistake after receiving a detailed lap-by-lap breakdown from the technical team. He cross-referenced this with his watch data, admitting an error in the first loop of the bike race. He apologized for any harm caused, taking full responsibility for the honest mistake.
Syed Saddiq also announced that his status would be updated to DNF (did not finish), and the third-place spot would be awarded to Adam Syahmi Md Jasni. He emphasized that both he and the organizers recognized it as an honest mistake.
So, What Happens to the Trophy?
Initially, Syed Saddiq was listed as the third-place winner on the Check Point Spot website. However, this was later changed to DNF, with Adam Syahmi Md Jasni now claiming third place.
Syed Saddiq, acknowledging the error, stated that it was best for his status to be DNF. He also remarked that he would be more cautious in future races as he continues his journey in the triathlon community.
