BY Fadhil Yunus

Brunei Darussalam’s athlete Muhammad Adid bin Abdul Kadir represented the Sultanate with distinction after winning the gold medal in the 5km Sprint Race of the Spartan Race Thailand 2022 at the Huay Tung Tao Reservoir in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim District recently.

The nation’s first representative in the Spartan World Championship in Lake Tahoe in the United States also claimed the silver medal in the 10km Super Race in the second of the Southeast Asia (SEA) Regional Series.

Muhd Adid currently ranks third behind a competitor from Malaysia and the Philippines in the SEA Regionals with two more legs of the Spartan series to come.

The next two races will be held in the Philippines in September and Vietnam in October.

The top three spots in the SEA Regional Series will qualify for the World Championship in the United States.

Muhd Adid said, “I am blessed and grateful knowing all my hard work, determination and sweat in training has paid off. There is no victory without suffering.”

He added, “It is my dream to be on the podium, receiving the gold medal and waving the national flag.

“During the National Youth Day celebration, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in a titah said the Sultanate has always carried itself with distinction, and highlighted the importance of maintaining the image of the country through our actions.”

The athlete added, “This gave me the encouragement to win for my country.”

The course saw participants run on muddy terrain and steep hills on top of obstacles along the trail, such as mud, ziplines, nets, walls and weight carries. Muhd Adid said, “It was difficult, I was drained climbing the steep hills, and my legs cramped.

“But that didn’t stop me from finishing the race strong.”

The 34-year-old shared his training schedule prior to the competition, having competed in Sarawak in June.

He said, “My performance in Sarawak was poor despite finishing in third place.”

The Sarawak meet marked his resumption in competitive action in obstacle course running following an absence owed to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

“But that’s not an excuse. The six-week window for the Thailand race was optimised with a lot of running on road and trail, and intense sessions at the gym.”

Typically, Muhd Adid attends strength training at Lockdown Gym in the morning and runs at Bukit Shahbandar or Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas in the evening.

The athlete has set his sights on taking part in the third SEA Series race in the Philippines.

The Thailand race, which attracted 3,000 runners from 30 countries, was organised by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) in cooperation with several agencies including the Tourist Authority of Thailand.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin