Izzah shatters national record to qualify for knockout round

Pocket dynamite Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri. - OCM

PETALING JAYA: Olympic Games debutant Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri blazed her way to a new national record in the women's sprint event and beat the odds to make it to the knockout stage at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome in Paris.

The 20-year-old used the steep transition incline at the track to her advantage, clocking a superb 10.709s to shatter her own national record of 10.903s set at the Asian Championships in Nilai last year.

Izzah's time put her 21st overall out of 30 cyclists, earning her a place in the elimination rounds.

A total of 24 cyclists advanced to the knockout stage later in the day.