NATIONAL track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang has to double down if he wants to be part of the Malaysian team for the 2025 Track Cycling World Championships in Santigo, Chile this October, said national cycling programme technical director John Beasley.
Beasley said Mohd Azizulhasni has to prove he has what it takes as there will not be a dedicated spot for him on the squad for the team sprint event.
Furthermore, Beasley said Mohd Azizulhasni will not be competing in the individual events.
“We need Mohd Azizulhasni. He realizes that he gonna need to push foward as hard as he can and he realizes he need to qualify to get a spot. There is no automatic spot (for Mohd Azizulhasni),“ he told reporters during the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) Hari Raya Open House, here today.
For the team event, Mohd Azizulhasni will have to compete with his juniors like Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis, Umar Hasbullah, Mohamad Akmal Nazimi Jusena as well as seasoned campaigners Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Muhamad Ridwan Sahrom.
Yesterday, Mohd Azizulhasni, who is nicknamed ‘The Pocket Rocketman’, announced that he would continue his career as a track cyclist but as a professional.
He said the decision was made after discussing with the National Sports Council and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to ensure that all allocations could be focused on other riders.
According to him, one of the reasons he made the decision was to ‘heal the wounds’ of failing to bring home a gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hannah also announced an individual grant allocation of RM200,000 for Mohd Azizulhasni to move professionally for the year 2025-2026.
