KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling coach John Beasley believes that Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri has a bright chance of qualifying for the Paris Olympics in July.
Nurul, nicknamed The Pocket Rocketwoman, will compete in the keirin at the Nations' Cup in Milton, Canada, from April 12 to 14.
She will have to finish ahead of riders from Spain, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Poland to stand a chance of qualifying for the Olympics.
Malaysia is currently 14th in the women's keirin Olympic ranking with 2254.5 points, followed by Spain in 15th (2185), Hong Kong in 16th (2176), Czech Republic in 17th (2173) and Poland in 18th (2166).
The final Olympic slot will be determined after the Milton race. The top eight nations in the rankings will get two berths for the Olympics and the other nations will receive a slot for the 30-rider field in Paris.
Beasley said Nurul has a bright chance of making her Olympic debut in Paris.
"Nurul is striving to qualify through the keirin event. We need to be in the top seven positions for the Olympic qualification quota. The race in Milton is the final qualification round," said Beasley.
"She needs to finish ahead of Spain, the Czech Republic, and Hong Kong. If she is ahead of them, she will qualify for the Paris Olympics."