Shah Firdaus’ goal of racing with Azizul at Asiad fuels his recovery process

Good chemistry: Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom (right) is inspired by 38-year-old Azizulhasni Awang.

PETALING JAYA: The desire to race alongside Azizulhasni Awang for gold at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, is pushing track cyclist Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom to go through the painstakingly long recovery process.

The Paris Olympics keirin finalist has been on the mend since he went for knee surgery last October.

Shah Firdaus competed in the sprint event at the President’s Cup in Nilai in January but since then, has largely been confined to rehabilitation sessions.

He, however, is looking forward to racing with the Pocket Rocketman, who is back in the top 15 bracket in the men’s elite world rankings for sprint.

Shah Firdaus will return to competition in the World Cup at the National Velodrome in Nilai end of this month but the Asian Games will be the main focus given that it will likely be the final competitive appearance together with Azizul.

“Azizul and I have raced in many competitions around the world together. I’m not sure if I can still qualify for the World Championships in Shanghai end of this year, so probably the Asian Games could be our last time racing together,” said Shah Firdaus, who has resumed weights training in the gym this week.

“I feel we have great chemistry together, racing the keirin especially. We don’t have to tell each other what needs to be done.

“If either one of us moves in front (during race), we know what we have to do. It is crazy what he has done (in his career), even now with his family and other commitments, that he is still able to perform at such a high level.

“Many said he is over the hill but he has proven people wrong by winning international races.

“He is still a monster and I hope he will achieve something spectacular before he retires.

“Seeing how he came back gives me the motivation to recover well and be in good shape.”

Azizul, now 38, initially planned to retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics but was coaxed by a number of parties to race on until after the Asian Games.

He was forced to sit out the Hangzhou Asiad held three years ago after suffering serious injuries during training.

The last time he competed at the Asiad was in the 2018 edition in Indonesia where he won the individual sprint gold, team sprint silver (with Shah Firdaus and Mohd Fadhil Zonis), and keirin bronze.