CYCLIST Fadhil Zonis found it hard to adapt to an unfamiliar track and failed to qualify for the final of the men's 1km individual time trial at the World Championships in France on Friday.
Fadhil's one minute and 1.589-second effort, which was way off his Asian record of 1:00.305s, placed him 14th in the qualifying round in Roubaix.
Only the top-eight advanced to the final.
The Netherlands' Jeffrey Hoogland took the gold after clocking 58.418s in the decider, comfortably ahead of second-placed Nicholas Paul (59.791s) of Trinidad and Tobago. German Joachim Eilers (1:00.008s) completed the podium.
Fadhil, who had hoped to renew his personal best in the discipline, said he struggled to adapt to the Stab Velodrome's layout.
"I felt that I could break my personal best in today's (Friday) event. However, I lost momentum because I was too focused on staying on the racing line," said Fadhil.
"This track has a weird transition (into corners) compared to other velodromes.
"The long straights are followed by sharp corners, which forces the bike down and then pushes it back up. I was focusing too hard on (managing) this.
"It was tough because we were only allowed to train here twice before the event due to Covid-19 protocols.
"Usually, cyclists get more time on the track before a competition.
"However, it was a priceless experience, and I have learnt a lot here. It will help me with my preparations for next year's Birmingham Commonwealth Games," said Fadhli of his performance in his second competition of the season after the Hong Kong leg of the Nations Cup in May.
Teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom competed in the men's individual sprint event yesterday.