Cyclist Azizul deserves rest after earning points towards Olympics.
Azizul deserves rest after earning points towards Olympic qualification
PETALING JAYA: Azizulhasni Awang enjoyed a good night’s sleep after chalking up a superb come-from-behind victory in the men’s elite sprint at the Asian Cycling Championships in Jakarta.
The 31-year-old Malaysian track cyclist can rest easy, knowing he got the points in the bag towards Olympic qualification not just for his pet keirin event but for the sprint event as well.
Azizul sees the Asian championship success in the sprint as a massive boost to his Tokyo Olympic qualifcation hopes.
Teammate Muhd Shah Firdaus Sahrom also had an impressive outing by beating defending champion Kazunari Watanabe of Japan to the bronze medal, adding to the silver he won in keirin earlier.
The performances of the duo should push Malaysia into the top 10 of the Olympic nation rankings.
The top seven ranked countries that did not qualify for team sprint will be allocated one individual quota slot for either keirin and sprint.
The Tokyo Olympic qualification already started last November and the Asian championships carries significant ranking points.
“What a good start to the year. I’m so happy with this achievement as it is my ninth Asian championship title and I managed to bounce back from the disappoinment in the keirin the other day (fifth place)
“On top of that, I also gained massive points for the Tokyo Olympics qualification for my individual sprint event.
“I would like to thank everyone for the support and prayers, and this victory is ours,” said Azizul, who likened his performance in the sprint on Saturday to a “roller coaster” ride.
“It was a bit like a roller coaster for me. It was a bit messy in the qualifying round as I lost control at the second corner and hit four sponges (which affected my speed) to clock 10.194, thus putting me at 10th placing.
“Because of that, the road to the sprint final was tougher as I need to race against faster opponents from the early rounds.
“I tried not to lose my focus and put on my best show on every single ride with the goal of making the finals.
“With determination and hard work, I finally made the final to race the Chinese sprinter Xu Chao, who was fastest in qualifying earlier.
“We have met a few times and it’s always a tough one each time. I knew it was going to be a three-round race as we both share one thing in common – toughness.
“Xu Chao controlled the race really well in the first round and I made some adjustments in the second round to make it equal and go into the decider round.
“I give full credit to my coach John Beasley, who gave me very good tactical instructions,” added Azizul, who is skipping the last two legs of the UCI Track World Cup in New Zealand and Hong Kong later this month as he wants to focus on the Track Cycling World Championships in Poland next month.
Rio Olympics cyclist Fatehah Mustapa failed to reach the women’s elite keirin final when she finished sixth in her second-round heat. Only the top three cyclists make the cut. Ju Pha Somnet failed to defend her women’s elite scratch title, finishing fourth in the final held yesterday.