Shah Firdaus aims to shift gears and rev up Asiad challenge

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom (pic) is confident of challenging for a keirin medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but knows he must regain the explosive acceleration that was missing at last month’s Commonwealth Games.

The right knee injury that forced him to undergo surgery last year is no longer his biggest concern.

Instead, Shah Firdaus is focused on rebuilding the power in his right leg and finding the acceleration needed to compete with Asia’s best from Sept 28-Oct 2.

“The coach is now focusing on my acceleration. I could see that my leg was still lacking the acceleration at the Commonwealth Games,” said Shah Firdaus.

“Once I get up to speed, I can just go for it. There are no issues there. The only problem is transitioning from slow speed to high speed.”

The problem was evident in the keirin at the Commonwealth Games, where Shah Firdaus failed to progress from his semi-final and eventually finished seventh after winning the consolation final.

He also clocked 9.805s to qualify 10th in the individual sprint before losing to Australia’s Daniel Barber in the round of 16.

However, the 29-year-old believes he is gradually rebuilding his confidence and can make an impact in Aichi-Nagoya, particularly in the keirin.

“In keirin, tactics and race positioning are more important than just raw speed.

“If we look at my performance from the Commonwealth Games, I am confident that we can advance to the later rounds.

“It won’t be easy but I am confident in my performance and I can deliver something... especially in the keirin.

“It’s going to be harder in the individual sprint as it relies on outright power,” said Shah Firdaus, who won two individual medals in the sprint and keirin at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Shah Firdaus first injured his right knee during strength training last year and continued to compete despite the problem.

After winning bronze in the individual sprint at the Asian Championships in Nilai, he eventually missed the World Championships in Chile and underwent stem-cell treatment before the injury was reassessed as a trochlear cleft lesion.

Surgery followed in October, leaving him with a lengthy rehabilitation and significant muscle wastage in his right leg.

His return to international competition began in April and signs of progress have been encouraging.

He won the sprint-keirin double at the Indonesia Track Cup in May before taking silver in the keirin at the Japan Track Cup behind Japan’s Ota Kaiya Ota, the reigning Asian Games champion.

Shah Firdaus then beat senior teammate Azizulhasni Awang to reclaim the national elite keirin title in June – his first since 2022.