He dismissed an accusation by a social media user that he “completed the bike (course) with only two loops (60km)” instead of the required three loops, which is 90km.

“I wore my ankle bracelet throughout the race, recording the time and passing all the checkpoints.

“When I realised I finished faster than expected on the bike course, I even double-checked with the first race technical team (responsible for the transition from the swim to the bike course),” he said in a video shared on Instagram Reels.

He said he also contacted the organisers yesterday to get in touch with the technical team and reaffirm his achievement.

Syed Saddiq, the former Muda president, participated in the 113 Triathlon Desaru 2024 over the weekend, coming in third after what he claimed in a recent Instagram post took him a total of five hours and 44 minutes.

However, the social media user said Syed Saddiq could not have completed the bike course in two hours and 37 minutes, as the latter had taken three hours and 31 minutes to complete the same bike course during the Ironman race in May.

“The fastest rider from Spain did (the bike course) in two hours and 31 minutes. Are you really that fast?” asked the user.

In response, Syed Saddiq said an “apple-to-apple comparison” could not be made between the two races, adding that he “barely survived” the Ironman race after a trip to Singapore.

“I slept for only four hours since I (came back from) Singapore. I only came back around 1am and was up by 4.30am,” he said.

Syed Saddiq said he also experienced stomach cramps during the Ironman race and received a time penalty of about five to 10 minutes during the race.

Social media users nevertheless criticised his response, urging him to show the data recorded on running and cycling tracking app Strava.

“Show your Strava data. A few photos will explain everything, and you can save paper,” one netizen commented, referring to Syed Saddiq’s use of printed sheets in his video.