ON TRACK FOR GOLD
Pocket Rocketman vying for glory and young riders aiming to surprise
THE cycling squad will fly to Jakarta with a mission to bring home gold from the Asian Games.
And of course, the heavy burden will be on the shoulders of keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang in his pet event.
He has recovered from a virus infection which benched him from the World Track Championship and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The Pocket Rocketman signalled that he’s back in top flight when he won gold at the Track Cup in China recently.
But the focus will not be on the Terengganu ace alone this time around, as there are young riders in the squad who can cause an upset or two.
Firdaus Sahrom is one of them, as he has gained enough experience even though he will be competing in his first Asian Games. He has competed in the World Series alongside Azizulhasni in keirin and individual sprint.
And if any untoward incident happens to Azizulhasni on race day, Firdaus can be relied upon to challenge the other Asian riders.
Fadhil Zonis is another exciting rider who completes Malaysia’s sprints trio and they are good for a medal as well.
Selangor rider Fadhil has matched teammates Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus to dip below 10 seconds in the sprints qualifiers in China recently.
“I am happy with our riders’ achievements in China recently as everything is going according to our plans,” said chief coach John Beasley.
Roadrace riders also have an open chance, if they use the right strategy on the hilly route.