NILAI, Dec 9 — National track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang will focus on long sprint workouts to enhance his sprint technique to prepare for the keirin event ahead of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2023 Track Nations Cup.
Popularly known as ‘The Pocket Rocketman’ for his burst of speed at the finishing line, Azizulhasni said long sprint workouts are crucial to enhance technique and endurance when preparing for high-level competitions which involve top riders from Europe.
The Dungun-born rider said he needs to be equipped with the right technique and endurance to compete against the best riders in Europe and earn qualifying points for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“My advantage now is in middle and short sprints, but to compare with European riders who are bigger in size, capacity and machines that are a lot better than me, I have to focus more on long sprints.
“Even for the UCI Track Cycling League (TCL), I focused on long sprints, because that is required to build our base for competitions,” he told reporters after the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) President’s Cup II competition, here yesterday.
The 34-year-old rider said he would now concentrate on the UCI 2023 Track Nations Cup which will be held in Indonesia and Egypt come February and March, before coming back to Malaysia to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Earlier, Azizulhasni clinched a silver medal in the MNCF II men’s keirin after finishing behind New Zealand’s Samuel Daikin at the National Velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom once again finished second in the men’s sprint after losing to Samuel 2-0 while his brother Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom picked up the third place after beating teammate Muhammad Fadhli Zonis 2-0 in the third-fourth race.
The MNCF President’s Cup race is the first organised by the MNCF as an effort to help local riders earn qualifying points for the Olympics 2024.
Apart from Malaysia and New Zealand, riders from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Iran took part in the competition.
— Bernama
