The national track squad’s preparation for next month’s Asian Championships is picking up speed following a strong showing at the China Track International Event One in Beijing.
Former world champion Azizulhasni Awang notched a solid double-gold feat by winning the men’s individual sprint and keirin at the Laoshan Velodrome on Friday.
It is an improvement compared to his performance in last week’s Southeast Asian Track Cup Grand Prix (SEA GP) in Nilai, where he picked up a gold (keirin) and a silver (sprint).
This time Azizulhasni turned the tables on Taiwan’s Kang Shih Feng, who won the keirin in Nilai, as the latter was forced to settle for second.
Sime Darby Track Team’s Fadhil Zonis, who is also adept at the 1km time trial, did well to take bronze in the keirin.
On the women’s side, Anis Amira Rosidi lived up to her billing as a future star as she clinched the keirin gold ahead of Japan’s silver medallist Riyu Ohta and Indonesia’s bronze medallist Crismonita Dwi Putri.
Anis, who is also competing for Sime Darby, had finished second behind Crismonita at the SEA GP.
The national riders had just come off a heavy strength training block when they competed at the SEA GP and were not in optimum race condition.
Despite his strong performance in Beijing, Azizulhasni said he has yet to hit top form.
“Competing here is part of my practice (preparation) and I did not ride at full capacity as I took care not to pick up injuries,” said Azizulhasni.
“I am quite pleased with my current level of performance as I have not started my speedwork (training) yet.
“But on an important note, I now have enough (points) to qualify for the UCI Track World Cup series later this year. We will try and bring more glory to the nation as we continue to improve.”
The China Track International Event Two concluded late yesterday.
The Asian Championships will be held in Seoul on Oct 17-21.