The end is near: Azizulhasni Awang and coach John Beasley will part ways after the Paris Olympics.
PETALING JAYA: The cycling fraternity are bracing for the departure of their shining star Azizulhasni Awang with his impending retirement next year but his teammates have proven this year that they have the qualities to fill the void.
In the absence of Azizul at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Mohd Fadhil Zonis stepped in to compete in the keirin alongside Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom while Mohd Ridwan Sahrom replaced his senior in the sprint.
All three youngsters lived up to the expectations as Shah Firdaus brought home two bronze medals in the sprint and keirin events, while Firdaus and Ridwan played their roles to contribute to their team’s bronze medal.
Azizul, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, missed the Asiad after he was involved in a high speed training incident at the National Velodrome in Nilai.
He did not want to aggravate his injury as his focus is to qualify for his fifth Olympics outing in Paris, which will be his last stint in his illustrious career.
But the fighter Azizul showed he was quick on the rebound when he ended the year on a positive note after pedalling his way to a silver in the keirin event at the 126th Austral WheelRace in Melbourne earlier this month.
Shah Firdaus made it grand by winning a bronze.
Both Azizul and Shah Firdaus will go for a strong push in the final phase of Olympic qualification next year in the opening leg of the UCI Track Nations Cup in Adelaide from Feb 2-4.
There were joy in the women’s as well when Nur Aisyah Mohd Zubir qualified as the first cyclist to ride in the road event at the Olympics since Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman and Amir Mustafa Rusli took part at the 2012 London Olympics.
The 26-year-old Aisyah also impressed at this year’s Cambodia SEA Games when she brought home two bronze medals.
The Olympics spot was well-deserved for the Terengganu-born, who became the first cyclist to romp to seven gold medals at the 2018 Perak Malaysian Games (Sukma).
Malaysia hosted another successful Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) where Arvid De Kleijn of Tudor Pro Cycling Team was crowned as the overall champion with 72 points followed by Gleb Syritsa of Astana Qazaqstan Cycling (58 points) and Sasha Weemaes from Human Powered Health (55 points).
As for the local pro outfit – Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team, they claimed the top spot in the Asia UCI rankings after winning the UCI Asia Tour title for the fifth time in October.
The Terengganu outfit’s relentless hard work and dedication were paid off handsomely, making them the best continental team in the world with a notable 30th position in the UCI world ranking.
Meanwhile, Azizul’s long and successful coach-athlete relationship with John Beasley will cease after the Paris Olympics.
Beasley, who has served as the track cycling head coach since 2007, will take up a new role as the technical director while former French chief coach Herman Terryn will assume the role as the back-up squad coach.
