Shah Firdaus falls short in World Cup return

PETALING JAYA: Track cyclist Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom capped a quiet weekend for Malaysia with an early exit in the sprint event at the World Cup in Hong Kong.

Shah Firdaus, riding in his first international competition after more than a year’s absence, was not able to make the cut for the first round of the men’s individual sprint.

His time of 10.075s placed him 39th in qualifying and he missed the top 28 cut at the Hong Kong Velodrome.

His latest time was way off the 9.481s personal best he clocked at the World Cup in Turkiye in March last year.

The result did not come as a surprise as Shah Firdaus had gone for surgery on his right knee in late September and had lost significant muscle mass and power during the rehabilitation process.

Heavyweights Matthew Richardson (9.391s) of Britain, Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul (9.459s) and Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen of Holland (9.466s) rounded out the top-three in qualifying. Younger brother Mohd Ridwan Sahrom did not compete in the individual sprint yesterday.

On Saturday, Shah Firdaus and Ridwan failed to clear the first round repechage in the men’s keirin. Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri and Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid also had a similar outcome yesterday in the women’s keirin as both were unable to advance past the first round repechage.

Alyssa finished fifth while Izzah was fourth in the heat. Only the top two advanced to the second round.

The cyclists will return home to get ready for the season-ending World Cup round at the National Velodrome in Nilai from April 24-26.