PETALING JAYA: John Beasley sees Azizulhasni Awang as the son he never had and is ready to help the national track cyclist achieve his Olympic Games dream for Malaysia.
Beasley is now involved with the Japan cycling team but said that it would not change his commitment to Azizul's Olympics ambition.
"I already made it known to him that I will continue to support to him although I no longer oversee his daily training plans," said Beasley, who was involved with the Malaysian track cycling set-up for two decades before quitting last month.
"Azizul has been an exceptional student over the last 20 years and I will always be available to provide guidance in planning his future path.
"If there is one person I want to see win an Olympic gold medal, it is Azizul. No one would be prouder than I if he manages to achieve this.
"He is like family to me, like a son. You don't say no if your son comes back and asks for your help, so I will always be available to assist him through his Olympics journey.
"I will continue to play a part in assisting him until 2028, albeit in a different capacity."
Beasley noted that one of Azizul's greatest strengths is his profound understanding of his own body, particularly knowing when to increase training intensity and when to allow more time for recovery.
"I believe that's the reason for his longevity in high performance sports.
"The most important factor though is to ensure that he has the right support team towards his Olympic journey," said the Australian.
Azizul, at 38, has had a spectacular season this year.
He captured two golds and two bronzes to emerge overall champion in the UCI Track World Cup series; won the Glasgow Commonwealth Games keirin title; and bagged one gold in keirin and one bronze in sprint at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
