NILAI – National track cycling head coach John Beasley is impressed by the performance of his young charges Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis, Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom, and Umar Hasbullah.
The trio produced an impressive showing to clinch the elite men’s team sprint event bronze at the ongoing Asian Track Cycling Championships at the National Velodrome here yesterday, while Japan and China secured the top two places.
The Australian coach said their performance was an indicator of their abilities, and he was now pinning his hopes on them to challenge their Asian rivals in the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games from September 23 to October 8.
“We had a new line-up and we finished third in Asia, while China and Japan are in the world’s top eight. We need to keep working with them, keep developing them, and they will be in a good place in time to come,” he told reporters.
Beasley said it would be taxing to field Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Shahrom in the Asian Games team sprint due to the tight event schedule, adding that the host country will also try to dominate the podium.
As such, he said competing in the Asian Games will provide more exposure and opportunities to the young cyclists.
“We can’t run Mohd Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus in the Asian Games (team sprint) because the competition is only (for) four days, sprint and keirin are in the last two days.
“If we run the A Team (Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus), they will be tired before the last day, so it’s good to start developing the younger ones, (it’s an) opportunity for them to step up as well.
“Fadhil is in the best form of his career, while Umar (aged 20), is the youngest in the senior team, he is in his second year in the team. They need time for development and to catch up, after spending two years under Covid-19 lockdown without opportunities,” he added.
On Ridwan Sahrom, the younger brother of Shah Firdaus, Beasley said the 22-year-old was currently showing good progress. – Bernama, June 15, 2023
