National track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang’s journey in the men’s sprint event at the Paris Olympics Games came to an end after he finished third in the last 16 repechage heat at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. Unfortunately, only the winner of the heat, Mikhail Yakovlev of Israel, advanced to the quarter-finals, leaving Azizul behind along with Rudyk Mateusz of Poland.
Despite his setback, Azizul had shown great promise earlier in the competition. He had a strong start by finishing as the 10th fastest in the qualifying round with an impressive time of 9.402 seconds. This time not only improved on his own national record but was also the fastest time by an Asian cyclist until Kaiya from Japan set a new record of 9.350 seconds.
In the knockout stage, Azizul managed to defeat Turnbull and Spiegel in the first two rounds before facing Hoogland, the silver medallist from the previous Olympics, in a tough battle that led him to the repechage round.
His fellow Malaysian cyclist, Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom, also made it to the top-24 sprint first round battle but unfortunately could not progress further in the competition.
Looking ahead, both Azizul and Shah Firdaus will now shift their focus to the keirin event scheduled to start this Saturday. The keirin event presents a new opportunity for the Malaysian cyclists to showcase their skills and determination on the track.
Despite the disappointment in the sprint event, Azizul has proven himself to be a formidable competitor with his impressive performance in the qualifying round. As he prepares for the keirin event, he will undoubtedly be aiming to bounce back stronger and make Malaysia proud on the Olympic stage. Stay tuned for more updates on the Malaysian cyclists’ journey at the Paris Olympics Games.
