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PETALING JAYA: Azizulhasni Awang signed the year in style at the Australian National Track Championships.
Azizul took gold in the keirin final at the Anna Meares Velodrome in Brisbane yesterday, becoming the first non-Australian winner.
It was also a double joy, as Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom came in third behind reigning double champion of the Commonwealth Games of Australia, Matthew Glaetzer.
Glaetzer is the 2018 sprint world champion, but he decided to compete in the keirin.
However, Azizul was relieved to be back in the chair.
“Shah Firdaus and I never expected this to come (the opportunity to compete before the year was out),” Azizul said.
“First of all I want to thank Cycling Australia for allowing us to be here and compete as guest riders, as this was their national championship.
“We are very happy with what we achieved as we are still in the middle of a heavy training load and we are not oriented towards competition.
“The Australians were in their prime as they take these nationals seriously so it is a very good meeting to gauge where we are, which is not far from our performance in Berlin earlier this year,” added Azizul.
The Pocket Rocketman didn’t get off to the best start to its first competition in almost 10 months since winning two bronzes at the World Track Cycling Championships in Berlin.
In the qualifiers, Azizul was third behind Sam Gallagher and Glaetzer, for which he was absent from direct qualification to the final.
He was forced to win the play-offs to keep his medal hopes alive.
Shah Firdaus showed his mettle by winning his first round tie to qualify for the top six finals.
In Saturday’s sprint, Azizul also had a good start, settling for fourth place after losing to James Brister in two heats.
The 32-year-old from Terengganu opened the year by winning bronze in sprint and keirin at the world meet, securing a record fourth appearance at the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Then there were months of training at home at their Melbourne base due to Covid-19.
It was only when the Queensland Victoria border opened two weeks ago that Cycling Australia decided to go ahead with the national championships, which were supposed to take place in August.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican, Naina Merican, congratulated both cyclists on her Facebook page.
“Azizul and Shah Firdaus once again took the podium on the international stage despite not having raced for so long.
“I am sure that all Malaysians will be proud of their successes. I hope this motivates all athletes in the country to excel and hope to resume international competitions, ”said Reezal.
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