NILAI: Dutch cycling star Harrie Lavreysen, who is competing in the region for the first time, is hoping to set up a blockbuster keirin final showdown with Azizulhasni Awang at the Track World Cup in Nilai on Saturday (Aug 25).
The two were expected to clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics but the meeting never materialised after Azizul was disqualified for overtaking the derny early in the heats.
Lavreysen went on to claim the gold medal. The five-time Olympic gold medallist said he looks forward to racing against the Malaysian veteran on his home soil.
"I hope we can make the final together and battle it out," said Lavreysen, who feels Azizul remains a major threat despite being in the latter stage of his career.
"I think he will be in really good shape. I watched him win the first World Cup in Perth and I'm afraid he's going to be even better here.
"I think it's a really big race for him in his hometown, so it's going to be hard, but I look forward to racing with him. It's been a while since we raced together, so I hope we can have some nice races," he said.
Lavreysen described his overall performance as positive despite a setback that saw his team settle for bronze in the men's team sprint on Friday.
"The first day went pretty good actually. We were the fastest in qualification and also fast in the final, but we messed up in the first round in third position.
"We had the speed and were able to win bronze, so I'm still happy with the first day," he said.
