NILAI: Asian record holder Yuta Obara is not competing but it does not make things easier for national track cyclist Mohd Fadhil Zonis (pic) in his bid to reclaim the men’s 1km time trial title for Malaysia.
The 27-year-old is determined to make the most of his two-day break before competing in his pet event at the Asian Track Cycling Championships tomorrow.
He aims to utilise the time effectively to ensure he is in peak condition to reclaim his gold medal on the third day of the competition at the National Velodrome in Nilai.
A viral infection forced Fadhil to pull out from the competition in the 2024 edition in New Delhi, India, thus dashing his hopes of defending the gold medal he won in the previous edition in Nilai, where he clocked 1:00.559s for the gold medal.
“My main focus now is rest and recover to ensure I am fully prepared. The final stages of preparation are crucial at this point,” said the Selangor-born Fadhil.
“At the Asian championships in India last year, I missed out on the gold, so this year I want to try to win again. This time, it’s on home soil, in front of my own supporters. God willing, I will give my best.”
Fadhil’s mission to reclaim his lost gold medal will not be a cakewalk with several top riders in the fray.
Obara, who holds the Asian record for the 1km time trial with a blistering 59.796s set at the 2022 World Championships in France, is not competing but Japan still have Kuboki Kazushige, who posted 1:01.712s in finishing 15th in the world meet in Denmark last year.
Defending champion Li Zhiwei of China, Kazakhstan’s Kirill Kurdidi, and India’s Ronaldo Laitonjam are expected contenders for the men’s 1km time trial title as well.
“There are plenty of good riders from Japan, Kazakhstan, China, India and Indonesia. I have to be calm and not let the pressure get to me,” he said.
Reflecting on his recent performance in the men’s team sprint event on Friday, Fadhil admitted to feeling slightly disappointed as the national squad fell short in defending the silver medal they won last year.
“Honestly, we had anticipated this outcome because the Chinese team are incredibly fast. Even though they fielded their B team, they have many top-tier riders,” he said.
“When we saw their time in the first round, it was clear they were fast. But we didn’t feel pressured ... we just focused on giving our best and aimed for a podium finish. We also came close to breaking the national record, so there were positives to take from it.”
Fadhil, Mohd Ridwan Sahrom and Mohd Akmal Nazimi Jusena secured bronze with a time of 30.969s.
The gold medal went to Japan, represented by Yoshitaku Nagasako, Kaiya Ota and Shinji Nakano while China’s Tang Haoju, Feng Yusheng and Liu Qi claimed silver.
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