Radbone conquers Desaru to bag first Ironman crown

New Straits Times

25-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: From nearly losing the ability to walk to becoming an Ironman 70.3 champion, Jed Radbone's rise in triathlon is nothing short of remarkable.
The 25-year-old Australian delivered a commanding performance at the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast in Bandar Penawar, Johor, on Sunday, conquering the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run in four hours, 13 minutes and two seconds (4:13:02) to win the marquee race of the Desaru Coast Multisport Festival.
Radbone's feat came in scorching heat and humidity, with over 1,000 triathletes from 45 countries navigating the hilly terrain along Johor's coastline.
Spain's Luis Miguel Ruiz Nanaez and Australia's Assad Attamimi completed the men's podium, clocking 4:24:27 and 4:27:23, respectively.
It was Radbone's first win at an Ironman 70.3 race.
The Adelaide native only began taking the sport seriously four years ago and was left stunned by his performance.
"I've fallen in love with this place and I'm super happy to get this result. The combination of the heat and the tough course makes it very challenging."
Despite his dominant showing, Radbone admitted he hadn't expected to come out on top.
"When I arrived at the hotel and saw the other triathletes — big legs, massive calves — I was a bit worried," he joked. "But I just focused on myself and pushed really hard, especially during the swim. I was among the front guys in that leg."
Radbone's win is all the more inspiring considering what he endured as a teenager.
A serious accident in 2013 left him with a broken pelvis in four places.
"I almost lost the ability to walk, so I'm super grateful to be out there competing in a sport that demands so much from the human body," he said.
What began as a fitness routine — swimming, cycling and running — turned into a passion."I found out about triathlon and just ventured into it," he said.
Singapore's Choo Ling Er put on a masterclass to clinch her third straight women's crown. She stopped the clock at 4:55:26, well ahead of Australia's Claudia Sabine (5:17:19) and Thailand's Satowa Ota (5:22:48).
"It's my first race since tearing a ligament in my leg, so I wasn't sure if I could push myself hard today. But it all turned out well. No pain, no issues at all."
The 37-year-old, who is also a mother to a three-year-old daughter, now has her sights set on the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in October.
While the overall titles went to foreign triathletes, Malaysia's top athletes made their presence felt.
Rabani Hashim emerged as the fastest Malaysian male finisher, clocking 4:57:19 to finish 12th overall.
Kok Hoo Han (5:00.10) and Azmir Taib (5:10.06) were second and third, respectively.
The Terengganu-born triathlete, a former national rower who represented Malaysia at the 2015 Singapore Sea Games, said: "I'm surprised with the result, as the favourite was Shahrom Abdullah," said Rabani.
"But he had a technical issue with his bike, and that gave me a bit of an advantage."
Despite his win, Rabani admitted he wasn't at his best physically.
"I didn't have time to train properly because of work commitments. I only trained when I could — either before or after work," he said.
In the women's category, Chia Shio Yuen was the top local finisher with a time of 5:33:57.
The 35-year-old, who was runner-up last year, placed sixth overall and beat defending champion Chia Ling Pow (5:40:54) and Mimi Ruslan (5:59:24).