Rio 2016: Azizulhasni's medal win, the fruit of family sacrifice

Nothing could have made a wife happier than seeing the sacrifice of the family for the dream of her husband to become a reality.

Athiah Ilyana Abd Samat, 30, wife of national cyclist Azizulhasni Awang said the focus of her husband in his mission to win a gold medal at the Rio Olympics was different from the two previous games.

"This year, he was determined to be different from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics including his diet.

"In fact, he sleeps at 9 pm so that he could wake up early for training the next morning," she said when met by reporters at her house here today.

Azizulhasni, 28, earned Malaysia a bronze medal in the keirin event at the Rio Olympics early this morning.

Athiah Ilyana, who holds a degree in architecture from Deakin University, Geelong, Australia was willing to be a full-time housewife to look after her two children apart from following her husband who is based in Melbourne since 2007.

Azizulhasni and Athiah Ilyana, who were married in January 2010, have two daughters, Amna Mariyam, 3 and Amna Khadeeja, 11 months.

"In Melbourne, I need to look after his diet as he could not take food with too much oil. Sometimes, when the schedule is very tight, he could not spend too much time with the family," she said.

Athiah Ilyana who last saw her husband in Ramadan, said they would be returning to Melbourne next month as Azizhasni would be participating in an international tournament in October.

Meanwhile, Azizulhasni's mother, Selamiah Yong, 52, said she arrived in Ipoh from Dungun, Terengganu two days ago with her relatives and grandchildren to witness the historic moment with Azizulhasni.

"Our entire family is proud and happy for him," said Selamiah and added that she had contacted Azizulhasni known as the Pocket Rocket Man at about 8 am to share the joy.