The road to LA or not? The call only Azizul can make

IT was exactly 20 years ago when Josiah Ng, then already an Olympic keirin finalist, told this scribe to watch out for a young trainee who had just joined him in Melbourne.

“He’s going to achieve more success than me,” said Josiah.

“He shines when the stakes are highest and not every athlete has that mentality,” added Josiah, who paved the way for Malaysia to make a name in track cycling.

That young kid was Azizulhasni Awang and two decades on, he has achieved so much for Malaysia.

He remains the nation’s only world champion in track cycling, the only one to reach the Olympic podium – not once but twice – with bronze in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and silver in Tokyo (2021), and is an 11-time Asian champion.

Perhaps the question lingering on many minds now is whether the man himself is willing to extend his career for another two years until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Critics may argue that Azizul is stretching things too far as he will be 40 by the time Los Angeles hosts the next Games. But in cycling, age is hardly a barrier to success.

American Kristin Armstrong was 42 when she won the time trial gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, while Chris Hoy was 36 when he claimed the keirin and team sprint titles at the 2012 London Olympics to become Britain’s most decorated Olympian with six gold medals.

Azizul himself showed over the weekend that age is just a number.

The Dungun-born produced an astonishing burst around the final bend to beat reigning Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen and clinch the keirin gold, before capping a superb outing with bronze in the sprint.

From fans to administrators, many are urging Azizul to give the Olympics another shot.

But by his own standards, simply making the cut will never be enough. The real question is whether he can put himself in the best position to fight for gold.

That is what he must be certain of before committing another two years of his life to an Olympic campaign.

The disappointment of the last Olympics, where he was disqualified before even starting his keirin race, is still fresh.

What made it harder to swallow was that he had been in prime form, having broken his national sprint record just two days earlier.

The allure of standing on the top step of the Olympic podium remains strong. But Azizul must also answer to his family.

It is not easy for a father of four young children to commit to another Olympic cycle, with long periods away for training and competition.

Then comes the weight of expectation, which is the burden that follows a senior athlete and whether it is worth putting his family through another demanding cycle.

But if anything, Azizul’s career has become the very embodiment of resilience. He has survived life-threatening injuries and even open-heart surgery just a few years ago.

If there is one thing we have learnt, it is that there is perhaps no curveball life can throw at him that he cannot handle.

Now, that’s the Azizul we know – a true fighter until the very end.