Azizulhasni to return as keirin world No. 1 after Asian meet success.

PETALING JAYA: Azizulhasni Awang (pic), who has never let his physique stand in the way, is again the pride of the nation in the international cycling arena.

The 31-year-old will return to the top of the world rankings for men’s keirin when the new list is out this week.

It will be the third time Azizul reaches the top of the summit in his pet event after 2010 and 2016.

Coach John Beasley said there was no doubt Azizul would overtake current world No. 1 Matthew Glaetzer of Australia after reaching the keirin final at the just-concluded Asian Cycling Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the keirin final, Azizul was placed fifth but teammate Muhd Shah Firdaus Sahrom kept the Malaysian flag flying high by snatching silver behind Japan’s Yuta Wakimoto.

Azizul is ranked second in the world, just five points behind Glaetzer (2,445) after winning bronze and silver in the UCI Track World Cup meets in Berlin and London last month.

“He just needs to finish in the final and take over the world No. 1 spot for keirin,” said Beasley.

“These are substantial points given out for the continental championships, and it’s more than those handed out for the World Cup series.

“It’s nice to be in this position, but it’s not our biggest priority. The main goal is to keep working on the process as we want to win the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo,” added the Australian coach.

Beasley was happy to see Azizul, Shah Firdaus and Mohd Fadhil Zonis putting up fine performances in the Asian meet.

Azizul won a career ninth Asian championship title when he beat China’s Xu Chao in a nail-biting sprint final. Shah Firdaus overcame defending champion Kazunari Watanabe of Japan in two heats to take bronze.

“It is a massive boost for Malaysia as we will improve on the nation’s rankings for sprint for the Olympics,” said Beasley.

“It’s important for us to get at least one spot for the keirin and one for the sprint if we can’t get the team sprint through.

“Fadhil came down with dengue a day before the championship started, but he still got on the bike to race the team sprint and help us get the bronze. All of them are fighters.”

Azizul, Shah Firdaus and Fadhil are expected to prepare for the Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland at the end of next month.