LANGKAWI, 11 Nov 2017:
Who would have thought that a fit triathlon athlete had once suffered from obesity, tipping the scales at 106kg?
That is the story of Hafiza Othman, 33, one of the local athletes taking part in the Ironman Langkawi event today – her second time in two years.
“I will try to improve my time after finishing last year’s tournament in 14 hours 30 minutes, something I did not expect since my initial target was 15 hours 30 minutes,” said the mother of two.
Speaking about her journey from being overweight to a triathlon athlete, Hafiza said her weight rose when she was pregnant with her second child, and after giving birth in 2014, she began running 5km a day.
“At first it was 5km, then I went further. A year later, I challenged myself to swim and bought a bicycle with the intention of joining the triathlon.”
Her first try was the half triathlon event last year involving a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run, and then joining the Ironman Langkawi for the first time, in the same year.
Hafiza said obesity was not a hindrance to anyone from participating in a triathlon, as the most important thing was to believe one’s self, and see everything from a positive perspective.
“Some people said I could not run because of my large body, but I was confident with myself, and that’s why I was able to lose weight, up to 61kg, and managed to finish the Ironman (race) last year.”
– Bernama
