PETALING JAYA: Sabah cyclist Lim Chun Kiat (pic) wants to cook up a storm in his his first international appearance at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in New Delhi this weekend.
The culinary arts student earned his place in the continental meet by virtue of being the two-time national champion in the men’s elite 4km individual pursuit.
The 21-year-old claimed the men’s 4km individual pursuit title (4:29.728) by beating teammate Waldron Chee (4:32.639) at the just concluded National Track Championships in Nilai last month.
Chun Kiat is expecting stiffer competition with Asia’s best gathering in New Delhi and is hoping it will give him the extra push to try to break the national record of 4:25.352 held by Eiman Firdaus Mohd Zamri.
Eiman set it when he won the event at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
“Since the Asian Games has been postponed to next year, this Asian championships will be my biggest assignment this year,” said Chun Kiat.
“It’s not going to be easy but I will give it a shot to ride solid and get a good personal best time.
“Hopefully, it can also get me into the medal rounds,” added Chun Kiat, who is from Penampang.
He is not the only cyclist from Sabah competing in the Asian meet. Waldron is entered for the men’s scratch race while both of them will team up for the madison event.
Sabah coach Louis Pang, who has been training the state cyclists in Nilai for the last few years, said he will be proud of how they fare regardless of the outcome.
“It’s already a step forward when we are selected to represent Malaysia as we are outside the national programme.
“This is the Asian level and it’s an Olympic qualifying event for Paris (2024). We are competing against powerhouses like Japan, Iran, South Korea, China and Kazakhstan, so we can only do our best,” he said.
On the track conditions at the Indira Gandhi Velodrome, Louis said it is similar to Nilai.
“I don’t think it offers an advantage or disadvantage. We just have to ride solid and stick to our plans.”
At the 2020 Asian meet in South Korea, Malaysian team bagged one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.
Olympian Azizulhasni Awan,g who won gold in the sprint, has decided to take a year’s break following corrective heart surgery recently.
