KUALA LUMPUR – National track cycling champion Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang admitted that he unintentionally overtook the pacer during the first heat of the men’s keirin event at the Paris Olympics last night.
Azizul, who was disqualified, explained that his actions were due to the blocking and continuous pressure from French rider Rayan Helal, as well as the pacer moving at an unusually slow speed of only 40 to 45 kilometres per hour (km/h), rather than accelerating out as expected.
As an elite keirin rider, Azizul noted that the pacer’s speed typically increases to 50 – 55 km/h before the last lap.
“While I was struggling with the French rider, I noticed that the pacer had not yet accelerated, so I was surprised and tried to backpedal as a way to break but unfortunately did not have time to slow down as desired,” he shared in a social media post today, Bernama reported.
According to racing rules, riders cannot overtake the pacer’s rear tire before it exits the pursuit line, a fine line in the middle of the front stretch.
Azizul also mentioned that he had discussed strategy with national track cycling head coach John Beasley, planning to move forward early in the race to secure a front position, a move he made during the opening round in Tokyo 2020.
This decision was based on the potential difficulty of overtaking faster riders if they accelerated early.
“With one lap left before the pacer exited, I was already moving forward slowly from behind, similar to my strategy at the Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
“The plan was to be on the outside of the first or second rider and then accelerate after the pacer exited to grab the front position.”
However, Azizul said that when he reached the third corner and before entering the fourth, he was squeezed by Helal, whom he described as overly aggressive.
He nearly fell but managed to avoid the incident due to his quick reaction and good control.
Helal continued to follow closely, forcing Azizul to move forward to avoid further contact.
After the race, Beasley and team manager Izham Mohammad met with the commissioner’s panel to explain the situation and request a review of the race video and results. However, the panel upheld the disqualification.
Azizul questioned whether riders who unintentionally violate the rules can be penalised inconsistently, citing the semi-final race between the riders of Great Britain and the Netherlands as well as the quarter-final race between the riders of Great Britain and Japan at the Paris Games where other riders were not disqualified for similar offences.
The incident also reminded him of the keirin final at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where the race was stopped twice and restarted without any rider being removed.
“Track cycling races are ultimately decided by the commissar panel. While in the past, coaches and teams could request reviews, the situation has changed,” Azizul said.
Although his Olympic journey ended in Paris, he expressed hope that everyone would support and pray for his teammate, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who now bears the responsibility of bringing home Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal.
Shah Firdaus advanced to the men’s keirin quarter-finals after winning the third heat of the repechage round at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, clocking 10.154 seconds. – August 11, 2024