Track cyclists must beef up to be contenders at Olympics.
Azizul and Co need to increase their muscle mass to make impact
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian track cyclists, including Azizulhasni Awang, need to beef up if they hope to make an impression at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The results of the sprint competition at the just concluded Track Cycling World Championships in Pruszkow, Poland showed just how tough it is to break into the top bracket.
All 28 cyclists who progressed to the knockout stages dipped under the 10 seconds mark for the first time.
Azizulhasni, the reigning Asian Games champion in the sprint, was not at his best after a fall in the keirin two days earlier and settled for 30th spot (10.022).
Muhd Shah Firdaus Sahrom was placed 31st (10.092) with Muhd Fadhil Zonis ranked 34th (10.242).
All three are tier 1 athletes under the National Sports Council scheme which is for sports targeted to win a medal in Tokyo.
Coach John Beasley has his work cut out over the next six months to get them ready for the next phase of Olympic qualification.
“The biggest issue we face currently is we don’t have enough power. We are working on building that although this takes time as Malaysian athletes are small compared to most of the Europeans and the team sprint is all about acceleration.
“Once we get more muscles on each of the athletes, they will not only do well in team sprint but will also be able to qualify for the sprint competition.
“Our weakness is acceleration and to address that we need more power and in order to gain more power, we need more muscle mass.
“To build more muscle mass, it requires a massive amount of work done in the gym and getting enough rest and eating the right food. This is our mission over the next six months, so our performances will suffer in the short term while we are building the muscles required.
“But if we get the muscle mass then look out this coming season as our boys will be ready to win medals in Tokyo.”
The second and final phase of Olympic qualification for the cyclists will start with the Asian Cycling Championships in South Korea, which have been brought forward to November 2019.