Sea Games: Anuar, Samai to battle in Laos

2009/11/24

Arnaz M. Khairul

WHEREVER he turns, Anuar Manan knows all eyes will be on him when he starts the Sea Games road race in Vientiane on Dec 13. And his status as Asia's most prominent sprinter on the road does inadvertently overshadow the rest of the national squad heading for Laos this time around.

With a flat course that suits the sprinters, it will likely be a two-horse race should the men's massed start end with a bunch sprint.

It is then that Anuar will have to overcome the likely challenger in Indonesia's Samai Amari -- a battle that has been likened to badminton's duel between World No 1 Lee Chong Wei and China's Olympic and world champion Lin Dan.

Anuar, who has gobbled up a string of stage victories in lower rung races across the continent, but has not featured on the podium when much attention was on him.

He is the Chong Wei of cycling, while Samai is the unlikely Lin Dan, choosing the big targets and coming up with heart breaking victories against his rival.

Samai has the advantage over Anuar in this area, firstly having demolished the Malaysian's hopes of a Sea Games gold medal in the streets of Manila in 2005 when they faced off for the criterium gold medal then.

In 2007 in Korat, with Anuar in the squad and expected to fight for the gold, a breakaway put paid to all hopes and Malaysia lost it when Indonesian Rian Ariehaan went away solo to ride to victory.

Then in Le Tour de Langkawi in February this year, it was Samai who rose in front of Anuar.

With so much hope on Anuar to register the first ever stage win by a Malaysian in the 2.HC UCI Asia Tour race, it was Samai who delivered the surprise victory, riding for Anuar's former team Le Tua, on the fourth stage of the race.

Two months later, Samai was almost certain to steal the green jersey from Anuar in the Jelajah Malaysia, when a crash put him out of the race.

To rub salt to Anuar's wounds, Samai announced at the post-stage press conference that he had proven that he was Asia's best sprinter. It is probably down to the Sea Games again for this duo to settle their scores.

"This time, it suits me. The route is a flat one and we've got a good team, with two sprinter -- Zamri and myself -- and two good domestiques in Fallanie and Sea Keong," said Anuar, when contacted in Melbourne, where he is preparing for the Sea Games.

"In the past two Sea Games, all I can say is that I was inexperienced then. Now, I've raced against all those other riders in this Games to know exactly what to expect from all of them."

To send out a warning, Anuar has bagged three straight wins over the past two weeks in criterium races in Melbourne, as he puts the finishing touches before the showdown in Vientiane.