Izzah ready to take the next step

PETALING JAYA: National cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri is setting her sights on medals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya next month after her encouraging performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The national cyclist finished fourth in the women’s sprint in Glasgow after reaching the semi-finals, giving her the confidence to target a medal at the Asiad from Sept 19-Oct 4.

“After the Commonwealth Games, I’ve gained a bit more confidence to compete. I hope to return from the Asian Games with at least one medal, either in the individual or team events. Of course, if I can win in both events, I’d be even happier,” said Izzah.

The 22-year-old already has the Asiad experience, having finished fifth in the sprint and eighth in the keirin at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

She also claimed a bronze medal in the team sprint alongside Nurul Aliana Syafika Azizan and Anis Amira Rosidi, finishing behind champions China and runners-up South Korea.

But her latest Commonwealth Games outing suggests Izzah has taken another step forward since Hangzhou.

She reached the sprint semi-finals before losing 2-1 to England’s Sophie Capewell, then narrowly missed out on an individual medal after a 2-0 defeat by Wales’ Rhian Edmunds in the bronze-medal ride-off.

Fourth place was still a significant improvement on her Common­wealth Games debut in Birmingham in 2022, where she failed to qualify for the sprint first round and exited the keirin in the first-round repechage.

The Asian Games will provide a different test, however, with Japan’s reigning world champion Mina Sato and strong riders from China and South Korea expected to pose a stiff challenge.

“China set a Asian Games record at the last Asiad, and then there’s Sato but I’m more confident now,” said Izzah.

She knows further improvements in speed and power will be crucial in Aichi-Nagoya, while maintaining her physical condition and consistency will also be a priority.