KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling head coach John Beasley will be closely monitoring the progress of Azizulhasni Awang at the Adelaide leg of the UCI Track Nation's Cup, which starts on Friday.
Beasley said Azizulhasni has been suffering from pericarditis, a heart condition, over the past few weeks and is on medication.
Pericarditis is the swelling and inflamation of the lining surrounding the heart. It can cause sharp pain or put pressure on the chest. It is not usually serious, though can sometimes lead to more issues.
"Initially, we thought it was the after effects of a virus he had that was still hanging around," said Beasley when contacted today.
"It was after we took him to a race a week ago that he was presented with chest tightness. He could not recover and was not in a great condition after the race.
"He thought it was best to get it checked and that is when we found out it was a little more serious."
Beasley said he is unsure whether Azizulhasni will ride in the men's individual sprint event in Adelaide, adding that the main priority will be strengthening his Paris Olympic qualification points in the keirin.
"Not sure, as he is still not 100 per cent due to his pericarditis.
"The medication has made a small difference as each day passes. The plan is to get through the keirin event and see how his body is."
In 2022, Azizulhasni underwent open heart surgery to correct a coronary artery anomaly that he had since birth.
He spent most of the 2022 season recovering, but came back strong last year, winning double gold at the Asian Championships in Nilai in June.
But he was forced to sit out the Hangzhou Asian Games after suffering injuries in a training crash just weeks before the event in September.