RATIONAL thinking Malaysians want national track cyclist Datuk Azizulhasni Awang who is beyond consolation after he was disqualified from the Paris 2024 Olympics’ keirin cycling competition – in what is supposed to be his fifth and final Olympic Games outing – to just pick up the pieces move on with life.
Misfortune and mistakes no matter how silly can strike in any sporting event regardless of the countless hours of training and preparation – even to the extent of crumbling the high hopes placed on his shoulders by a nation which is in the hunt for its first ever Olympics gold medal.
The 36-year-old Azizul and Frenchman Rayan Helal were deemed to have moved too quickly before the derny left the track, prompting and the jury decided to disqualify the Malaysian in the first-round heat late last night (Malaysian time).
This is a huge disappointment as Malaysians were hopeful that Azizul could end the Paris Olympics on a high note by making the podium for the third time in a row. Azizul was the silver medallist in Tokyo three years ago and bronze medal winner in his pet event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The hard to contain emotional blow – to both sports fans and Azizul himself – flooded social media platforms with social media influencer Irfan_newboys🇲🇾🇵🇸🏳️🏴(@Marchfoward) summing up Azizul’s “Incorrect Behaviour Behind Derny” ordeal as “a tragic end for a legend”.
TERKINI DAN RASMI
BERITA DUKA
SUKAN OLIMPIK PARIS 2024
Datuk Azizulhasni Awang disahkan tersingkir secara rasmi dari Acara Keirin Lelaki Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024
Ini susulan kesalahan Incorrect Behaviour Behind Derny
Pengakhiran tragis untuk seorang legenda #Paris2024…
— Irfan_newboys🇲🇾🇵🇸🏳️🏴 (@Marchfoward) August 10, 2024
“We’ve made a mistake, it’s our fault and we can’t take it back,” commented an equally emotional national track cycling head coach John Beasley who describe the mistake as “monumental”.
“The rule is clear and we were more than one length in front and it didn’t give me any room to argue about it,” contended the 61-year-old Australian who is deemed as “the father of Malaysian track cycling”.
“Gone”, John Beasley beremosi dan sahkan Datuk Azizulhasni Awang tidak layak ke Repechages acara Keirin. @ASTROARENA pic.twitter.com/5seyqk1AP0
— Zulhelmi Zainal Azam (@zulhelmizainal1) August 10, 2024
“We made a mistake and paid the price for it. It’s hard on Azizul to end the career like this by not getting a chance to race at all. He’s still in shock, has not said anything at all. It has happened, we have to move forward.”
While heartbreak, frustration and rage among diehard Malaysian sporting fans is difficult to contain at this juncture, there are some rational ones out there who strive to look beyond the dark clouds.
On a brighter note, Malaysia’s quest for gold now rests on the shoulders of Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom who is the last man standing for Malaysia in the Paris Olympics.
The Johor-born cyclist kept alive Malaysia cycling team’s hopes to contribute a medal when he charged into the men’s keirin quarter-finals stage at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome last night (Aug 10).
Shah Firdaus came out at the right time to storm to the finish line and win his repechage heat involving five other riders. – Aug 11, 2024
Main image credit: Bernama
