KUALA LUMPUR: Azizulhasni Awang ended his UCI Track Champions League (TCL) debut by reaching his first keirin final in the fifth and final round in London yesterday since undergoing open heart surgery.
He finished second in the heat opening round at the Lee Valley VeloPark behind German Stefan Botticher. Only the top two from each heat advanced to the decider.
The Pocket Rocketman finished fifth in the final, which was won by Australian Matthew Richardson.
World champion Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) and Botticher came in second and third, respectively.
Azizulhasni, 34, came in second in his opening round individual sprint heat, which was won by Colombia's Santiago Ramirez. Only the winner in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Lavreysen won the sprint after downing Richardson in the final.
Azizulhasni did not clear the first stage of the sprint and keirin in the fourth round. The Olympic silver medallist ended the season in eighth place overall from 18 riders.
The TCL is Azizulhasni's first competition since the Tokyo Olympics last year.
The Dungun-born rider admitted he had been racing conservatively in the series as he did not want to risk any crashes.
Azizulhasni undergone heart surgery to correct a coronary artery anomaly in April and has yet to regain his full strength.