MNCF TARGETS ONE GOLD IN PARIS
Amarjit says association banking on Azizulhasni to deliver at Olympics
THE Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has officially declared a target of one gold medal for the Paris Olympics on July 26-Aug 11. Acting deputy president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said MNCF is banking on former world champion Azizulhasni Awang to deliver the goods in the men’s keirin event, while also hoping for Shah Firdaus Sahrom to be in contention.
MNCF is the first national sports association (NSA) to announce a gold medal target for the Paris Games.
“I think we all know Azizulhasni’s aspirations going into Paris. He has already won bronze (Rio 2016) and silver (Tokyo 2020), so all that is missing is the gold,” said Amarjit during a press conference in Petaling Jaya yesterday.
“I have discussed this (target) with our technical director John Beasley, and he is happy with the current condition and performance of the riders at the moment.
“Based on what was discussed with Beasley and the aspirations of Azizulhasni himself, MNCF has set a target of winning one gold in track cycling in Paris.
“We will inform the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the Youth and Sports Ministry about our target.
“I do not see any issue with us declaring our intent for Paris. This is not something that came out of the blue. That is why we are willing to say we are targeting one gold.
“We also have Shah in the field. If the conditions are right in the race, anything can happen, and he could create an upset.
“There could be a surprise, and we might even win another medal. We just have to wait and see.”
NSAs are usually reluctant to set lofty targets, especially in major competitions such as the Olympics.
Amarjit is aware that the keirin is a high-risk event where crashes and unexpected tactics can easily ruin a rider’s race, as happened to Azizulhasni in Tokyo.
“In the keirin, it all boils down to what happens on race day,” he said.
“In Tokyo, the gold was within our grasp but the tactics used by the other riders perhaps cost us the win.
“But if everything goes to plan, I believe we should be right up there.”
Azizulhasni was in fine form in Tokyo and was considered a serious contender for gold.
Britain’s Sir Jason Kenny, however, ran away with the gold after the rider behind him left too large of a gap between the two after the derny left the track.
This left the other riders, including Azizulhasni, with too much ground to close down.
On a separate note, Amarjit did not rule out the possibility of Azizulhasni continuing to compete for Malaysia after the Paris Olympics.
Amarjit said MNCF will continue to support Azizulhasni, 36, if he decides to remain in the national programme post-Paris.
The Dungun-born rider previously indicated that he would no longer race for the national team after Paris.
“As far as we know, this will be his last appearance at the Olympics but you never know what happens down the road. Only Azizulhasni can answer this question,” he said.
“We will give him full support if he wants to continue racing. Perhaps he may want to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan as he was forced to miss the last one.
“We can discuss this topic after the Olympics. It is a bit premature to do so now.”
Azizulhasni withdrew from the Hangzhou Asian Games last year after sustaining injuries in a heavy crash during training weeks before the event.
He has also been taking preventive steps since undergoing open heart surgery to correct a coronary artery anomaly in April 2022.
Azizulhasni, Shah and Izzah Izzati Asri, who has also qualified for Paris, will be competing in the Japan Track Cup series later this week.