Can Shah Firdaus go the distance?

BIRMINGHAM: Now that national track cycling ace, Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang is out of the race in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, all eyes will surely be on Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom to make a statement in England.

While the Games provide a great opportunity for Shah Firdaus to escape from Azizulhasni's shadow, especially in the men's keirin event, he, however, needs to be extra vigilant on six other cyclists as they could pose a potent threat to the Malaysian cyclist in the event held in Lee Valley Velopark, London.

National coach John Beasley said one of them was none other than Jack Carlin of England after the latter was the one who bumped Shah Firdaus in Heat Two of the first round in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that saw the national rider being rushed to the Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, last year.

"Apart from Carlin, Shah Firdaus' other competitors comprised two Australian riders, Mathew Glaetzer, who was also the former world sprint champion and Mathew Richardson as well as Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul, who was crowned International Cycling Union (UCI) Track Nations Cup champion in Cali, Colombia, recently," he told Bernama.

He said, two New Zealand riders - Sam Webster, who were the Commonwealth Games reigning sprint champion and another very good keirin rider, Sam Dakin - were also the one to watch out for in the Games.

In the meantime, the Australian coach had thrown the gauntlet to his charges to lower their personal best times in the events that they enter and make a good decision while racing under pressure there.

The national cycling squad to Birmingham will consist of three men's and three women's athletes, a mix of experienced and new riders.

The men's cyclists are Shah Firdaus, Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis and Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom while the women are Anis Amira Rosidi, Nurul Aliana Syafika Azizan and up-and-coming young talent Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri.

Azizulhasni had previously pulled out from the quadrennial Games because he is still undergoing rehabilitation following an open-heart surgery last April.

The 12-day Games will be officially kicked off at 7 pm today (2 am Friday Malaysian time) and will run until Aug 8.

-- BERNAMA