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Singapore’s Riyadh Hakim Brought Home 1st Silver at UCI World Cup
Securing a ticket to continue making the country proud on the world stage has always been the main goal for national mountain biker, Riyadh Hakim. For the first time in his career, the 25-year-old brought home a silver medal at round 3 of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup in Palangkaraya, Indonesia (May 19).
The MTB circuit in Central Kalimantan was no longer unfamiliar to him, as the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Championships was held at the same place last year. His journey to a medal was halted in the quarter-finals, competing against riders from Indonesia and France.
The start was a crucial marker for this year’s race. Riyadh managed to secure 3rd place in the time trial, with a gap of less than 1 second from the rider from Sweden, Edvin Lindh. Next, the National Champion steadily secured 1st place in the series of heats leading to the final.
“Super happy with my performance, felt strong from start to finish. I took the race stage by stage, giving it all that I have. Super stoked that I got a good time trial which motivated me even further to perform well each round. Winning the heats, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, I felt ready to fight for the win in the finals!” he said.
Being the only Asian representative in the final did not diminish his hope. Competing against riders from New Zealand, Austria, and France, the final round turned out sweet. Although the final was marked by a dramatic crash by two other competitors, his undisturbed focus was the key to his performance that day.
He admitted that mental preparation was one of the crucial factors in this race in Indonesia. “I was coming from a less-than-ideal week last week at the Asian Championships, not able to perform at my best. I came into the World Cup with an open mind with no expectations but to enjoy and give it my absolute best.”
Racing with the XC full suspension bike prototype from Polygon, the man who is part of the professional Asia Union TCS team is now focusing on the XCE World Championships and Singapore National Championships in July. Through a post on the Asia Union TCS account, he expressed his gratitude for the support given. “I’m really proud to bring back something to cheer about for the team, sponsors, friends, and family back home! Thank you everyone for the support; it really means a lot to me!”