THE Tasmania Christmas Carnival will be the first real test for the junior sprints trio that coach Junaidi Nasir will pin his hopes on in the Asian Cycling Championships in Thailand in February.
Shariz Afeendi Mohd Shahrin will lead the line this time around with Khairil Nizam Rasol and Mohd Fadhil Mohd Zonis, hoping to keep up the performances at junior level.
The 10-member squad that leave for Tasmania tonight also include several juniors who will don national colours for the first time, like Sarawak’s Nur Azrenna Ahmad Jumri and Kuala Lumpur’s Azli Najmi Zulkefli, both having impressed throughout this year’s National Junior Circuit.
Junaidi said without the record breaking Mohd Firdaus Mohd Zonis, who has moved to the elite squad, the reduced expectations on the junior sprinters should not be an excuse, and he expects the trio to show they can step up when the five-day Tasmanian series begins on Saturday.
“This will just be a training race. But the five days of races in Tasmania will be a good test as they are up against the best juniors in Australia,” said Junaidi.
“We'll get to test them, particularly for the sprint and keirin, which would be a vital part of our preparations for the Asian Championships, as there aren't many races between now and when we head to Nakhon Ratchasima in February.”
Shariz Afeendi and Khairil Nizam have had some high level exposure under their belts this year, both having featured in the UCI Juniors World Track Championships in Gwangmyeong, South Korea in August, but the pair need to brush up their performances as the burden to deliver medals would likely be mainly on their shoulders this time around.
“We are not going to pile the pressure on them just yet. When we get closer to the Asian Championships, we will know where we stand and set targets accordingly. That is a more realistic approach,” said Junaidi. By Arnaz M. Khairul