KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s para cyclist Mohamad Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin is banking on the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome to be his lucky charm once again as he sets his sights on winning a medal at the Paris Paralympics, which begins on August 28.
The velodrome holds special memories for Yusof, who clinched a bronze medal in the 1km time trial (C1 category) at the 2022 UCI Para Cycling Track World Championships.
This year, Yusof has extra motivation for the Paralympics, thanks to a string of impressive achievements.
He made headlines as the first Malaysian to reach the podium at the 2024 UCI Para Road World Cup’s first round in Adelaide, Australia, in January, securing bronze in the road time trial.
A month later, the Perak-born cyclist dominated the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) in New Delhi, India, winning four gold medals in the 1km time trial, omnium, scratch, and individual pursuits.
He followed up with another bronze in the 1km time trial at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March.
According to the latest Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) world rankings, Yusof is now proudly ranked as the world’s number one para track cyclist in the C1 category.
As a result, he is seen as one of Malaysia’s top medal prospects for Paris, aiming to surpass the disappointment of his debut at Tokyo 2020, where he finished fifth in the final and 33rd in the road race.
“This year, I see as my breakthrough year. Since the beginning, I’ve achieved several successes, coupled with intense training from my coach. As I head to Paris, I feel well-prepared to compete with the best in the world.
“I’m going there to give my best, and while I don’t want to set overly high expectations, my goal is to first break my personal record and, if possible, advance to the final,” said Yusof to Scoop.
The 27-year-old cyclist will compete in two events in Paris: the 1km time trial and the 3km individual pursuit.
Ironically, despite his numerous successes in the 1km time trial this year, his favourite event is the 3km individual pursuit where he recorded a time of 3min 55.612sec at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Glasgow last year.
“I actually prefer the 3km event because my strength lies in endurance rather than sprinting. I see my best chance in this event, as the 1km race combines categories C1 to C3,” he added.
Alongside Yusof, the national para-cycling team in Paris will be bolstered by Adi Raimie Amizazahan, Nur Azlia Syafinaz Zais, and Nur Suraiya Zamri, with the support of pilots Farina Shawati Adnan and Nurul Suhada Zainal. – August 22, 2024