NILAI: Azizulhasni Awang may have won the gold but it was his teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom who stole the show after a heroic performance en route to bronze in the men's keirin at the National Velodrome today.
Shah suffered a heavy crash in his semi-final heat earlier today which saw him sustaining cuts and bruises. Splinters from the wooden track and pieces of carbon fibre from his bike had entered his skin.
He, however, showed strong determination to remount his broken bike and finish the race in joint-third place to qualify for the final.
Shah then received treatment while team mechanics rushed to prepare him a new bike for the final as the one he crashed had to be written-off.
He went on to win bronze in the final, barely 90 minutes after his semi-final crash.
A visibly delighted Shah said the bronze meant a lot to him.
"I think the China and Japan rider ahead of me (in semi-final) made contact and just took out the rest of us," said Shah.
"My seat post broke so I couldn't sit down and my wheels where also bent but I just tried to finish the race because I wanted the Olympic qualifying points.
"I was in pain but I guess the adrenaline and the strong support from the crowd gave me the energy to push for a medal in the final. I had to shed blood and skin for this medal so it means a lot to me."
Azizulhasni immediately after the race dubbed Shah 'The Terminator' for his never-say-die attitude.