Radbone conquers Desaru to bag first Ironman crown
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).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Australia's squad development behind improved results, Kellaway says
Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v Australia - Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 16, 2025 South Africa's Damian Willemse in action with Australia's Andrew Kellaway REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko CAPE TOWN (Reuters) -It has been a lean few years for Australian rugby but wing Andrew Kellaway believes the patient development of experience in their squad has resulted in their impressive back-to-back wins over the British & Irish Lions and South Africa. Kellaway came off the bench in the first half of Saturday's stunning 38-22 Rugby Championship victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, where Australia had not won for 62 years and rallied from 22 points down after 18 minutes. The teams meet again in Cape Town on Saturday, and while Australia are prepared for a Springbok backlash, Kellaway says their squad has gained in confidence and are playing more consistent rugby. "What we're seeing is the benefit of the last three or four years worth of planning, where guys have now had 30 or 40 caps as opposed to 10 or 20," Kellaway told reporters on Tuesday. "They've got the lived experience to fall back on, especially when they're under pressure. I'd also add, we've won two games back to back. That is a form of consistency. "But what we're looking for is a lot longer streak of consistent performances, not necessarily wins. We're definitely on the right track, but we're nowhere near where we want to be." Kellaway says that despite Saturday's result, which sent the Springboks from the number one to three in the Rugby World Rankings, South Africa remain the 'benchmark'. "Mentally, we have to make sure that we're ready, because at this point, it's the biggest challenge in world rugby is coming up against the Springboks," Kellaway said. "The Boks have been the benchmark globally for a little while now. To beat them anywhere, home, away, is an amazing achievement. To beat them in South Africa is something we haven't done for a very long time (14 years). "What we've seen from the Springboks over the last four to eight years is a pretty strong game plan that hasn't deviated too much. It's really worked well for them. The box kick to compete, then the physicality around the kick chase. "We're always expecting that from the Springboks, but more so in rugby at the moment, that is a pretty big staple. That doesn't change for us. We're always working on that sort of stuff." (Reporting by Nick Said, Editing by William Maclean)
New Straits Times
14 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Jiwa's twin sons to play in German junior league
KUALA LUMPUR: Olympian Jiwa Mohan's three children are going places in different sports. His 13-year-old squash-playing daughter Yashica won the National Championships Division Two title in Penang on Sunday in her debut. His 14-year-old hockey-playing twin sons Kryshant and Kriish will play in the German Junior Hockey League later this month. Kryshant and Kriish are following in their father's footsteps after taking up hockey at the age of six. The twins, who are midfielders, helped Victoria state win the Australian Under-16 title in Adelaide in April. Victoria beat New South Wales 3-1 in the final, and Kryshant scored five goals in the tournament. Kryshant and Kriish, who impressed the coaches, were among 22 players called up for Australia's Under-16 team training. Both of them have also been selected by Oliver Kurtz, a 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medallist, to play for Hanauer Tennis and Hockey club in the Under-16 and Under-18 German league. They will leave for Germany on Aug 26 and return to Australia on Oct 30. Kryshant said it was a dream come true for them to be called up for the Australian Under-16 camp last October. "It's a major breakthrough for me and my brother. We are also grateful to get the opportunity to play in the German League. This will help us develop new skills, gain experience and learn the European style of play. "Our dreams are to represent Australia at all levels, from junior to senior. We hope to play in the Junior World Cup and 2032 Brisbane Olympics," said Kryshant, who top scored for Victoria with 14 goals in the Under-13 Australian championship in 2023. Kryshant, who has been playing for Victoria since 2022, said he wants to excel in both attack and defence. "To achieve that I need to stay calm and be able to control my emotions." Kriish, who plays in defence, said they are grateful to their parents (Jiwa and Tarveen Kaur) for their great support in hockey. "We would not have achieved without our parents' help. We are honoured to get the chance to play in the German League, thanks to my dad for making it happen. "We will get to learn new techniques and tactics which will enhance our game. My dream is to play for Australia in the Junior World Cup and all major tournaments "My dad has played for Malaysia in the Olympics and World Cup (Jiwa featured in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2002 Kuala Lumpur World Cup), and we also want to be successful," said Kriish. The twins helped Victoria win the Australia Under-13 title in 2022 and finish second in 2023. In the Under-14 last year, their team finished second. Kryshant and Kriish also played for Penang in the Malaysia Junior League last month. Kryshant scored three goals while Kriish got one as the island side finished seventh of 10 teams in Division One.
The Star
21 hours ago
- The Star
Jordan lifts Brunei in debut after missing first two games
Awesome start: Jordan Murray celebrating his goal against Kuching City. — DPMM FC PETALING JAYA: Brunei's Australian striker Jordan Murray could not have scripted a better return from a setback. The 29-year-old Murray, close to full recovery from an ankle injury that had sidelined him from the first two Super League games, made a dream debut for his team by scoring the winner in their dramatic 3-2 FA Cup round-of-16 first-leg victory over Kuching City at the Petaling Jaya Stadium last Saturday. For Murray, the goal made up for the weeks of frustration during his recovery. 'It was disappointing not being able to help the team and be part of the first two games,' said Murray. 'I'm still working on getting back to 100 percent. To score the winning goal meant so much to me, the fans and the team ... it's something I want to experience over and over again.' Murray's decisive strike in the 78th minute - pouncing on James Okwuosa's defensive slip before finishing coolly, capped off a stirring comeback for Brunei, who had earlier trailed 2-1. It was a fitting introduction for a forward whose career has taken him across Asia. Murray spent four seasons in India, playing for Kerala Blasters (2020-2021), two stints with Jamshedpur (2021-2022 and 2024-2025) and Chennaiyin (2023-2024) and a stint in Thailand with Nakhon Ratchashima (2022-2023) before making the switch to the Super League. The move, he admitted, felt like the right next step. 'Playing in India and Thailand was a fantastic experience. Both are very strong leagues,'' he said. 'When the opportunity came to joinBrunei and play in Malaysia, I was excited. I'd heard good feedback from friends about the team, so I was keen to come in.' His arrival has added further firepower to a Brunei side already boasting quality in attack, with the likes of Indonesian hotshot Ramadhan Sananta and Malaysian attacker Syafiq Ahmad.
