Fadhil in positive zone as he eyes top two finish

Good vibes: Mohd Fadhil Zonis hopes to land on the podium again in the elite team sprint event.

PETALING JAYA: National track rider Mohd Fadhil Zonis is hoping to help Malaysia pin down a top two finish in the men’s elite team sprint event at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in Nilai tomorrow.

Fadhil, Ridwan Sahrom and Umar Hasbullah secured silver behind Japan in the team sprint at the Asian meet held in New Delhi last year.

Fadhil, however, said they were slightly lucky at the time as they managed to finish above China and reach the final battle for gold.

“We knew that Japan and China would be the teams to beat in the competition last year. There was, however, a new rule introduced last year for standing start races. If you get stuck at the gate, there is no restart, you just have to go,’’ he said.

“China got caught out last year (in first round) and we were able to get into the final. But obviously, Japan were too strong for us in the final.

“Our goal this year is to at least maintain the silver medal and remain in the top two in Asia. It will be tough but I think we have a decent chance of doing so if we are able to perform well on the day.”

Fadhil will be the anchor rider for the men’s elite team sprint, combining with Mohd Akmal Nazimi Jusena and Mohd Ridwan Sahrom.

Akmal is the new guy replacing Umar Hasbullah for the team sprint this time.

“We have a number of young riders who have really stepped up recently such as Ahmad Safwan Nazeri and Akmal. They have performed well and have scored podiums.

“It is good to have healthy competition for places in the team. It makes sure that none of us can ever be too comfortable.”

Fadhil had a quiet year last season as he was focusing more on his young family.

But the 27-year-old proved that he is now on his way back to his best by claiming his first keirin victory in an international competition after four years during the Asean Track Series held at the National Velodrome in Nilai last month.

Malaysian riders won two gold, two silver and three bronzes at the Asian meet in New Delhi last year to place third overall behind Japan (15-2-1) and China (4-8-2).