PETALING JAYA: Track cyclists Azizulhasni Awang and Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom got off to a solid start in his Olympics gold medal quest by storming into the men's keirin quarter-finals at Izu Velodrome.
Azizul showed he has the endurance to keep up by sprinting early to win Heat 3.
Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul joins Azizul to qualify automatically for the last eight on Sunday morning while four other cyclists will ride in the repechage.
Azizul is the best Malaysian hope as the bronze medallist from Rio de Janeiro five years ago.
His teammate Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom put up a gusty comeback after falling earlier to finish second in the repechage behind Trinidad and Tobago's Kwesi Browne to join Azizul in the last eight.
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