Paris Olympics: Mncf Counting On Pocket Rocketman To Deliver Gold
PETALING JAYA, May 5 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has ambitious goals as it sets its sights on winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics through the nation's track cycling ace, Mohd Azizulhasni Awang.
MNCF deputy president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said that this target is based on the aspirations expressed by 'The Pocket Rocketman' after he secured a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I think we all know Mohd Azizulhasni's aspirations heading into the Paris Olympics. He recently mentioned that everyone knows what he wants in Paris. He won a bronze medal in Rio, then a silver medal in Tokyo. The only thing missing is the gold medal.
"I have discussed this with his coach, John Beasley, and based on Mohd Azizulhasni's own aspirations, MNCF is aiming for a gold medal in track cycling at the Paris Olympics," he said at a hotel in Petaling Jaya here today.
Amarjit added that this target was not made suddenly, but rather is realistic based on Mohd Azizulhasni's robust condition and that the national cycling governing body plans to present this target to the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the Ministry of Youth and Sports soon.
When asked if the results at the world's biggest sporting event might not meet expectations, Amarjit calmly replied that anything could happen on the day for the 36-year-old rider, while also acknowledging that another Malaysian rider, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, could also bring back a medal if all plans go smoothly.
"...as you saw in Tokyo, it was an extraordinary strategy by Jason (Kenny) (from Britain) that created a huge gap among other riders. The technique played by the rider caused us to miss the gold medal, even though we knew the gold medal was essentially within our grasp.
"Whatever happens, it will depend on the actual day of the competition. We hope that he (Mohd Azizulhasni) will be in the best condition, with no unforeseen incidents like collisions or other such mishaps during the race," he said.
On April 26, Mohd Azizulhasni, during a press conference at the National Velodrome in Nilai, expressed his determination to earn Malaysia's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics during what would be his last appearance at the event.
For track cycling, two other athletes have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics namley Muhammad Shah Firdaus and Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri. Meanwhile, Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir will be the first female Malaysian road cyclist to compete at the Olympic stage.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 26 to Aug 11.
In other developments, when asked if the MNCF would continue to give full support to Mohd Azizulhasni if he still wanted to race after the Paris Olympics ended, Amarjit said the federation was open to any possibility.
“As of now, I think this would be his last Olympics but you cannot know what happens down the road. I think this is something only Mohd Azizulhasni can answer this question. But as far as we know, this is his last Olympics.
“…but if he wants to be there, for example, he may want to take part in the coming Asian Games in 2026. We will support him if he wants to. But I think this topic we can only discuss after the Olympics. I think it's a bit premature to talk about this at this moment,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
