KUALA LUMPUR – It was heartbreaking to see Malaysia’s last hope for a gold medal, Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, get disqualified in the first round of the keirin event at the Paris Olympics.
Azizul was the first athlete to boldly declare to the media that he was targeting the gold medal in Paris.
Knowing he would be up against younger and stronger riders, it was brave of him to make such a statement. Azizul, also known as the “Pocket Rocketman”, has always been fearless in his pursuit of excellence.
Unfortunately, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist’s desire to get a head start led him to attempt an early attack, but he was penalised for crossing the derny, resulting in his disqualification.
It was disheartening to witness this in what is likely his last Olympic appearance.
But this is a hard pill to swallow, especially considering that during the Rio 2016 Olympics, British cyclist Jason Kenny was at risk of disqualification for the same reason. However, instead of being disqualified, the race was stopped, and the riders were allowed to restart.
Kenny went on to win the gold medal in Brazil.
Since then, the rules have changed, stipulating that any riders who are disqualified are not allowed to compete in the repechages.
This outcome means we are made to wait even longer before we see our athletes deliver that elusive gold medal for Malaysia.
As a sports fan, it’s painful to see our country still in search of its golden moment while neighbouring countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam have all won gold medals.
Even countries like Botswana and St Lucia have won their first golds at the Paris Games.
But today is not the day to dwell on that.
Today is about honouring Azizul, one of Malaysia’s most decorated athletes in its history, who has won two Olympic medals – silver in Tokyo 2020 and bronze in Rio 2016.
No matter what happened last night, Azizul should walk with his head held high because no one can question his contribution to the country in cycling.
He deserves a standing ovation, and I can foresee Kuala Lumpur International Airport being packed with fans, even though he didn’t bring back a medal.
That’s because of the love Malaysians have for him. The cycling community grew significantly after he won bronze in Rio.
Even some national athletes idolise him, particularly national 100m sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, who draws inspiration from Azizulhasni’s career journey to fuel his own ambitions for success.
“I take Datuk Azizul as an example as he is one of my idols. He started competing in the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing at the age of 20 and managed to qualify for the round of 16,” Azeem told Scoop in a recent interview.
Now, we need to see Shah Firdaus stepping up and continuing Azizul’s legacy at Los Angeles 2028. I hope the Malaysian National Cycling Federation is already working on its next generation of young riders.
Our athletes should start preparing for LA 2028 now, rather than waiting. We have the talent, and all we need is to secure that gold in four years.
Until then, let’s all keep dreaming of an Olympic gold. – August 11, 2024
T. Vignesh is Scoop Associate Editor