KUALA LUMPUR: Shah Firdaus Sahrom has secured enough ranking points for Malaysia to have at least two track cyclists at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old finished fourth in the sprint at the final leg of the UCI Track Nations Cup in Milton, Canada, over the weekend.
Australian Matthew Richardson pipped Shah Firdaus to the bronze while Nicholas Paul of Trinidad won the gold after edging Mateusz Rudyk of Poland in the final at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre.
With former keirin world No. 1 Azizulhasni Awang expected to qualify for the Olympics in both keirin and sprint events, it opens up the door for Fadhil Zonis, and enables Malaysia to compete in the team sprint event.
Shah Firdaus is currently ranked world No. 11 in the individual sprint with 696 points, Azizul is 18th and Fadhil is 54th.
National track cycling head coach John Beasley said: "Shah did a great job, he did what the team needed to keep the points for the Olympic qualification ticking over nicely.
"I'm really happy for Shah, he just lacks a little confidence at times. We all know how good he is, also how good he can be."
The track cycling team will compete in the National Championships and Hong Kong Class 1 in May, the Asian Championships in June, the World Championships in August and the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.