Kimbeley wants to compete in a third SEA Games sport

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Kimbeley Yap (pic) is set to be the first Malaysian athlete to take part in three different sports in the SEA Games series.

The former national swimmer and also a two-time triathlon gold medallist is looking at competing in the road cycling events at the Games in Laos in December.

For a start, she has been accepted into the national senior women’s road squad under coach Ng Joo Ngan and will train alongside the likes of SEA Games gold medallist Noor Azian Alias and Uracca Leow.

Kimbeley won the triathlon gold medal at the 2005 and 2007 Games in the Philippines and Thailand but the event is not in the programme of the edition in Laos. But she is not into cycling just for want of competing in the biennial Games.

“There is no major (triathlon) competitions for me to look forward to and there is no point to continue training as it is hard to commit to the different disciplines at times,” said the 24-year-old who made her Games debut in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur as a swimmer and won two bronze medals as part of the relay squad.

“I decided to take a break from triathlon and take up cycling for this year.

“I am now doing track and road cycling training. But since there is no track events, I am looking at taking part in the individual time trial and road races in Laos.

“I thought about trying out swimming but I think I don’t have a chance to enter the programme as the current swimmers are much younger but already doing much faster times.”

Kimbeley felt switching focus to cycling would help her when she makes a return to triathlon in which she was placed sixth in the Asian Cup last year.

“The cyclists and also the coach (Joo Ngan) have been helping me to adjust to road and the track cycling,” she said.

“It is fun learning about the tactics and I will benefit from it if I go back to triathlon. While triathlon is an individual sport, I cannot think of myself when I am on the road with the team. The road race competition is about team-work and this is one of the difference things I have learnt.”

Among the competitions she will looking forward to are the Malaysian championship in Kuala Lumpur next month and the Asian Championships in Indonesia later in the year.