My heart is still with Malaysia, says coach Beasley
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia cycling coach John Beasley reiterated that he has no plans to leave although there are offers from other countries.
Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly try to lure the Australian away following cyclist Azizulhasni Awang’s historic gold medal at the World Track Cycling Championships in Hong Kong in March.
But Beasley, whose contract ends in December, said his heart is with Malaysia and there is also the yetto-be realised dream of a first Olympic gold medal for Malaysia in cycling.
“I like to stay on as long as Malaysia wants me. When they say ‘we don’t need you anymore’, then I’ll leave.
“My contract have always been reviewed every two years and I don’t even think about that.
“At the end of the day, I am judged by my performance.
“Now it’s about finishing what we started and leaving a legacy behind for Malaysian cycling,” said Beasley, who was happy to see the cyclists met the target of winning 13 gold medals at the recent KL SEA Games.
“It’s not about the gold medals we won as we are the strongest nation in track cycling but I am excited to see the kind of times they set.
“We actually suppressed their training as it is still early in the season, instead we spent more time in the gym.
“Credit should go to the local coaches who did most of the legwork for the Games while it was mostly managing on my part,” he added.