NILAI: Former keirin world champion Azizulhasni Awang turned 38 on Monday, but the national track ace showed he is far from slowing down by clinching his first win on home soil in over a year.
The Terengganu-born rider captured the men’s elite sprint title for Malaysia in the opening leg of the President’s Cup at the National Velodrome here yesterday.
Azizul’s triumph, however, did not come easy.
He was not the fastest rider in the qualifying session and dropped the first heat of the final against South Korea’s Kim Geun-woo.
Drawing on his vast experience, Azizul regrouped to force a decider before outwitting the younger South Korean in the deciding heat to maintain his strong record racing on home ground.
Earlier, Azizul had eliminated Thailand SEA Games keirin gold medallist Mohd Ridwan Sahrom in straight heats to book his place in the final, while Geun-woo defeated Hong Kong’s To Cheuk Hei in the other semi-final.
The win marked another encouraging step in Azizul’s comeback after taking a break following his Paris Olympics disappointment, where he was disqualified due to a technical infringement.
He announced his return in April last year and has since been racing as an independent rider.
Azizul, who has been urged by several parties to continue competing until the Asian Games in Japan in September, last raced at the Nilai velodrome during the National Championships in May last year.
"As I expected, the route to the final was not easy. There were many tough races along the way.
"I’m not young anymore, and in the semi-finals I had to face Ridwan Sahrom. It would have been better to meet him later in the final, but the draw placed us against each other earlier.
"Still, it was a good race and he gave me a strong challenge. I made a small mistake in the semi-finals, but that is normal. I reset myself, adapted to the situation and managed to recover to win the race.
"In the final, I got extra motivation from racing on home ground. The support from friends and the crowd really pushed me.
"It was a very good race and very fast. The last time we met was in New Zealand, so it was tricky because he already knew my tactics.
"I had to adapt, but overall it was a good contest," said Azizul, who won both the sprint and keirin events at the New Zealand GP last month.
Azizul said he is now enjoying the process as an independent cyclist and prefers to take things one step at a time.
"Since I announced my return about eight months ago, I didn't jump straight into full training. I eased back slowly, focusing on things step by step.
"I started with road training, then moved into the gym gradually to regain my basic strength over three to four months.
"I haven’t fully trained with the team yet. In Melbourne, I trained alone and only joined my teammates when I’m back here.
"It’s been good progress and I don’t want to rush.
"From experience, whenever I rush too early, I get injured and have to start again," he added.
