Riding for a cause
Veteran azizul not wasting time in bid to accomplish unsettled business in paris
NILAI: Only gold matters for national track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang when he makes his fifth and final appearance at the Paris Olympics.
Azizul said it may be his last appearance on the Olympic stage at the age of 36, but he insisted his presence in Paris is not just to make up the numbers despite having gone through heart operation two years ago.
Azizul is the first Malaysian men to make his fifth Olympics appearance.
He made his debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished 10th in keirin. In 2012 London, Azizul stepped up to make his first final and finished sixth.
He finally stood on the Olympic podium in 2016 Rio de Janeiro, picking up the bronze medal and was in his best form to claim the elusive gold in Tokyo three years ago but settled for silver in the keirin behind Britain’s Jason Kenny in the final.
“This is my fifth Olympics, which I didn’t expect I could achieve because, based on the past Olympics (Tokyo 2020) and my heart condition, I was considering retirement ...
“Even my mother and family have advised me that there is nothing more for me to pursue,” said Azizul.
“But I still have unfinished business and this time around, I want to give 110%.
“Whatever the outcome will be, I will be happy, because I was unhappy with the result due to my condition at the last edition.
“I was in very strong form and I’ve sailed through my heats going into the final.
“But as I said before, you can control your own game but not your opponents.
“I believe everyone understands why I am still part of the national team. I would not continue to fight to qualify for another Olympics if it were solely about competing. I wouldn’t waste my time,” said Azizul at the National Velodrome in Nilai yesterday.
“I still have to respect all plans and decisions of the team regarding our targets.
“But for me, I hope to complete my journey after winning bronze and silver medals.” Altogether, Malaysia will have a total of four representatives in cycling for Paris.
Besides Azizul, the others who have qualified on merit are Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri.
Nur Aisyah Zubir is the other Malaysian woman cyclist who will compete in road race event.