The sprint event is a highly tactical affair in which two riders go head-to-head over three laps. They were joined by another track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, 25, who is making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, racing the keirin and sprint. (Photo courtesy of Azizulhasni Awang)(Kyodo)Īfter undergoing a 14-day quarantine period, Azizulhasni started training with Beasley at the Malaysian National Velodrome in Nilai, southern Negeri Sembilan state. Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang works out in the gym at the Malaysian National Velodrome in Nilai, southern Negri Sembilan state, Malaysia in July 2021. The one-year delay for him was a "blessing in disguise because it gave me more time and opportunity to train," he said.Īzizulhasni and Beasley have been based in Melbourne, Australia, but returned to Malaysia on June 7 for final preparations before they join the Malaysian contingent, 30 athletes competing in ten sports, that will head to Tokyo. We just hope the (Tokyo Olympic) authorities do their best to ensure participants are safe," he said. (Our) conclusion is we will leave it to the IOC to decide. John and I sat and talked a lot about this. "The situation is uncertain, but we still have to go.
I have family and kids," said Azizulhasni, a husband with two young daughters. "To be honest, I am a little bit worried. However, as the coronavirus outbreak shows no sign of abating in Tokyo, uncertainty looms over how the games will play out.
Most major sporting events were impacted, including the Tokyo Olympics.įollowing a one-year postponement, the Summer Games will begin on July 23. The 2020 worlds in Berlin took place in February and March, just before nations across the globe shut their borders when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. At the 2020 edition, he finished third in the keirin and sprint.Ĭlocking in at 9.548 seconds over the final 200-meter blast in the 2020 sprint event's qualifying phase, he broke his personal best and the Asian record. In 2017, he won his first gold at the world championships in the keirin event. He has gained 10 kilograms since the Rio Olympics, focused on building his lower body muscle mass to increase the burst and watts he can put through the pedals. The 33-year-old is nicknamed the "pocket rocketman" due to his compact size and phenomenal power. With seven, Azizulhasni is blazing a trail for his nation. Only one other Malaysian, Rizal Tisin, has won a medal at the track cycling world championships. Eight of the nation's 11 medals have come in the wildly popular sport of badminton, with two others in diving. Malaysia has accumulated seven Olympic silver medals and four bronze, including Azizulhasni's. "I am a lot stronger, faster and wiser than I was in the last Olympics," he told Kyodo News in an interview via Zoom, with his Australian coach John Beasley watching on.
(Kyodo)Īzizulhasni, a regular near the top of the International Cycling Union world ranking lists in sprint and keirin, says the increased experience and confidence he carries on his heavily-muscled shoulders will allow him to make a mark at his fourth straight Olympic Games. Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang (R) defeats Japanese racer Tomohiro Fukaya in the men's sprint final at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug.