MELAKA - The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) will hold a pre-Olympic competition from May 22-26 at the National Velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan as preparations for the Tokyo Games in July.
MNCF secretary-general Datuk Ashakari Abu Noor said this would enable national track cyclists Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom to get used to actual competition conditions.
He said that based on discussions with the National Sports Council (NSC) and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), the competition would allow the cyclists to adapt to the standard operating procedure (SOP) and criteria set during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By taking these steps, we hope that our national cyclists can achieve success and win medals for the country in the Olympic Games,” he told reporters after attending the launch of a courier company, TAPAW.COM, here today.
Ashakari said that Mohd Azizulhasni is expected to return to Malaysia on May 5 while the Tokyo Olympics will be from July 23-Aug 8.
He said the world number one sprint cyclist was undergoing intense training under the watchful eyes of national track cycling coach John Beasley in Melbourne, Australia in a bid to maintain his performance and momentum for the Olympics.
The national cycling champion, nicknamed The Pocket Rocketman, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the keirin and individual sprint events, while Muhammad Shah Firdaus made the cut for the sprint. - Bernama, 15 March, 2021
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