Ummi feels she has let nation down for not winning gold

The Star
11/02/2012

"I'm sorry Malaysia."

That's all national junior track cyclist Ummi Hamimah Mohamad (pic) could say after failing to deliver the gold medal in the women's junior sprint event yesterday.

Ummi lost her first bout against South Korea's An Hye-ji but won the second to force a decider in the fight for gold.

But Malaysia's dream of bagging a first ever gold in the women's sprint was shattered when Hye-ji got the better of Ummi in the final showdown.

The 18-year-old Ummi said her poor jugdment let her down in the decider.

"I lost the first match because I was using a smaller cog at the back and I lost some power at the home straight," said Ummi, who was in tears.

"After changing to a bigger cog, I managed to win the second match to force the decider. But I then made the mistake of allowing the Korean rider to dictate the pace."

Ummi's win in the second match left the 100-odd local crowd in the stands – including her mother, Rozita Chik, who came all the way from Terengganu – holding their breath for gold.

Even more so as elite riders Azizulhasni Awang and Fatehah Mustapa, and Ummi's fellow junior rider, Lauretta Eva Adrian, had already lost 0-2 to their opponents.

"I feel I have let the nation down for not winning the gold. I must try to get it right in the keirin tomorrow," said Ummi.

Prior to the sprint events, Lauretta bagged the bronze in the 500m time trial with a time of 39.996. Taiwan's Cheng Yu-hsiu took the gold in 38.588 while Hyeji earned the silver in 39.196.

In the men's junior team sprint, the local trio of Malek Marcus McCrone, Mohd Fauzan Nor Azman and Mohd Asri Suraizi had to settle for the bronze in 1:07.890.

Japan took the gold in 1:05.411 and South Korea the silver in 1:06.862.