Paris 2024: Cramps force Nur Aisyah to drop out of road cycling event

PARIS - National road cyclist Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir had to drop out of the women's road cycling race in the Paris Olympics after experiencing cramps in both legs yesterday.

Nur Aisyah explained that she fell behind the peloton after attempting to avoid an accident about 90 kilometres into the race.

Her efforts to rejoin the group were hampered by cramps, ultimately leading to her being classified as Did Not Finish (DNF) on the website olympics.com/en/paris-2024, along with 13 other riders.

"At around 90 kilometres, an accident occurred near me, and I had to brake sharply to avoid it, which caused me to lose my pace.

"This happened just before the race’s steepest climb, and there were several attacks going on at that time. I did my best to catch up with the group, but I first experienced cramps in my left leg and then in my right leg,” she told reporters.

The race began and concluded at the Pont d'Iena bridge in the Trocadero, featuring a cobbled road section, approximately 1,700 metres of climbing, and a narrow, technically challenging segment towards the finish.

In the 158-kilometer race, American cyclist Kristen Faulkner claimed the gold medal by clocking 3:59:23s (s) while Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Lotte Kopecky (Belgium), took silver (4:00.21s) and bronze (4:00:21s) respectively.

Nur Aisyah made history as the first Malaysian female road cyclist to compete on the Olympic stage, having been awarded a slot by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) for the Paris Olympics. - BERNAMA