Cycling

Rise of the 'female Azizul'

KUALA LUMPUR: Cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri is seen as Malaysia's female version of the Pocket Rocketman, in reference to Azizulhasni Awang.

The pint-sized 19-year-old may be a shooting star but she is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

Nurul came into the spotlight at the 2018 Malaysia Games and only joined the national backup squad at the start of the year but became an Asian champion in the women's 500m time trial in New Delhi in June.

On Thursday, she claimed the keirin gold in the women's elite event at the MNCF President Cup.

Nurul, who plans to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, said: "My performance in 2022 is quite OK. I still have a lot of things to learn and improve.

"People say I'm the female version of Azizulhasni, maybe because we both are small-sized and compete in the sprint events. But that's the only similarity.

"I still have a long way to go to reach Azizulhasni's level. He's really a world-class athlete with several major successes."

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