PETALING JAYA: Olympic Games-bound cyclist Azizulhasni Awang bounced back to claim a hard-fought bronze medal in the sprint on the second day of the Japan Track Cup Series at Izu Velodrome.
Azizul had finished out of the podium after placing fourth in the keirin and sprint in the Japan Track Cup I on Friday. But the 36-year-old showed resilience to come back with a strong performance in the sprint event in the second leg yesterday.
He had lost to Hangzhou Asian Games sprint champion Ota Kaiya in two heats in the semis earlier.
Kaiya went on to win the sprint gold medal after beating Japanese teammate Yuta Obara in two heats.
Azizul reached the medal rounds after beating Japan's Mikami Ryoya while fellow Malaysian Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom was eliminated after going down to Obara in the quarter-finals.
