KUALA LUMPUR: Fresh from ending Malaysia's 16-year wait for a Commonwealth Games men's keirin gold, national track cycling ace Azizulhasni Awang is already on the radar for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28).
National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin said Azizul, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist, had been included in the Olympic Pathway as one of the athletes to receive focused support in preparations for the prestigious Games.
He said the plan was discussed and presented to the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) in June, with both parties agreeing to support the preparations Azizul requires should he decide to pursue another Olympic campaign.
"The Olympic Pathway was discussed and presented to MNCF last June, and both the NSC and MNCF have agreed on the pathway involving Datuk Azizul as one of the athletes who will receive focused attention.
"NSC and MNCF will fully support whatever plans he needs to prepare for LA28,” he told reporters after the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad and the NSC at the NSC in Bukit Jalil on Friday (Aug 14).
Jefri said the NSC also met Azizul, better known as ‘The Pocket Rocketman’, yesterday (Thursday) to discuss his plans, with the 38-year-old currently focused on the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
He said Azizul would announce his decision on whether to compete at LA28 after the Asian Games.
Jefri stressed that government support for Azizul was not dependent solely on his status in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, as the Podium Programme also provides support to national athletes in their bid to qualify for the Olympics.
Azizul was previously part of the RTG programme for Paris 2024 before deciding to continue his career as a professional cyclist last year.
He has since turned back the clock, ending both his and Malaysia's 16-year wait for the Commonwealth Games men’s keirin gold when he triumphed at Glasgow 2026 earlier this month. — Bernama
