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Friday November 20, 2009

Adiq defies the odds in points race event

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Young cyclist Adiq Husainie Othman, a late inclusion for the endurance programme, carved his own piece of history as the second leg of the Track World Cup got underway at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne yesterday.

The 18-year-old created a stir when he won his qualifying heat to advance to the men’s points race final.

The top 10 riders from the two qualifying heats competed in a 120-lap final and inexperience got the better of the lone Malaysian in the fray and he finished in 10th place. World champion Cameron Meyer of Australia won the race.

Good prospects: Adiq Husainie is the first Malaysian to compete in the points race final at the Track World Cup.

Adiq, the world junior championship scratch race bronze medallist, can still hold his head high as he is the first Malaysian to ride in a points race final.

Adiq was a replacement for Zamani Mustarudin after initially being told to focus on the road programme with continental professional outfit Drapac-Porsche.

He will not compete in the scratch race today but will partner Amir Mustafa Rusli in the Madison instead as the duo bid to make it to the final for the first time.

Akmal Amrun is the Malaysian representative for the scratch race.

National coach John Beasley could not be more happy for the Terengganu-born Adiq, who delivered a stunner by winning the qualifying heat.

“No one expected him to be there in the final. He gave a very good account of himself, competing against an established field,” said Beasley from Melbourne.

“Don’t forget, he is still a junior and he has good prospects for the future.”

In the women’s 200m sprint, Fatehah Mustapa secured the last spot at stake for the knockout rounds when she finished 16th with a time of 11.972.

She was up against world champion Guo Shuang, who posted the fastest qualifying time of 11.207, and the Chinese sailed through to the quarter-finals.

The men’s team sprint trio of Mohd Edrus Yunos, Josiah Ng and Hafiz Sufian finished ninth in 46.523 yesterday.

They were the second-ranked Asian team behind Japan, who came in seventh in 46.235.

All eyes will be on another Terengganu-born rider, Azizul Hasni Awang, in the keirin today.

It was at the same venue 12 months ago where Azizul made history as the first World Cup gold medallist for Malaysia and he will be looking to improve on the form that won him the International Keirin bronze medal in Manchester last month.

Azizul will be riding for Australia-based trade team Bike Technologies while Josiah will represent the national team.

The men’s 1km time trial today will also see the World Cup debut of 2008 Asian junior champion Mohd Syamil Bahrum.

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