UAE’s Mirza clinches another gold medal
dubai — UAE Team Emirates’ Yousif Mirza completed a momentous hat trick of medal wins after capturing the continental title in the points race at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in Malaysia, and in doing so, becomes the first-ever Emirati rider to take home gold in an international track cycling series.
The recently crowned Asian Road Cycling Champion and the Omnium Track Cycling silver medallist was competing on behalf of the UAE National Team, ahead of re-joining UAE Team Emirates to continue his UCI World Tour season.
Commenting on his historic achievement, Mirza said; “For me it’s a reward for all the hard work and sacrifice I’ve put in on my bike since I was a kid. Words cannot describe how proud I am right now. I was already very happy because of the fantastic second place I earned in the omnium on Sunday, but my mind was concentrating on the points race. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of winning a gold medal, the same feeling I had when I won the Asian Road Racing Championships.
“Today I felt really strong and I was able to achieve the best result. I’m breaking the boundaries of cycling in the United Arab Emirates and proving that anything is possible. This is the first gold for my country in an international track cycling series and I hope it will be a turning point that inspires lots of kids to take up the sport. These results mean even more for my country now, since they come in the year of Zayed.”