TERENGGANU Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar recently took to his official X account to share his heartfelt tribute to Datuk Azizulhasni Awang following the latter’s heartbreaking disqualification during the 1st Heat of the Men’s Keirin competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
While a fitting tribute, Ahmad Samsuri’s post however drew flak from netizens who complained that the MB had shared more pictures of himself than of the national cyclist fondly known as the Pocket Rocketman.
In the post, Ahmad Samsuri thanked Azizulhasni for his many sacrifices and unfaltering determination shown for his beloved country.
Barangkali kamu tak suka sesuatu perkara tapi ia baik untuk kamu, barangkali kamu suka sesuatu perkara tapi ia tak baik untukmu. Insya-Allah ada hikmah apa yang berlaku.
Banyak pengorbanan dan semangat yang ditunjukkan demi negara yang kita cintai ini.
Terima kasih Jijoe,… pic.twitter.com/yP0JKVVnnN
— Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (@DrAhmadSamsuri) August 10, 2024
He also said that there may be a silver lining to what happened to Azizulhasni and expressed heartfelt gratitude to him, his coach and his supporters.
“Thank you Jijoe, coaches and all supporters. We will always be with you,” he penned in the post.
Attached were four photos which Ahmad Samsuri – one of the Pocket Rocketman being comforted by his coach John Beasly after the disqualification, and three of the Terengganu MB with various individuals.
In the response section of the post, many netizens questioned the need for Ahmad Samsuri to post only one photo of Azizulhasni while posting three times as many photos of himself at the event.
However, several netizens defended Ahmad Samsuri’s move, further urging netizens who want to see Azizulhasni’s pictures to visit the national cyclist’s account.
A netizen even went as far as to drag Hannah Yeoh into her diatribe and called for the Youth and Sports Minister’s resignation.
Meanwhile, several netizens further questioned Ahmad Samsuri’s presence in Paris.
In separate news, chef de mission (CDM) Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin recently said that it is time for Malaysia to face the reality and increase efforts for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
This is after the Malaysian contingent’s failure to land the country’s first gold medal and had to be satisfied with two hard-fought bronzes that came from shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles) and Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles).
“One of our best bets was Azizulhasni Awang, who won silver in keirin three years ago in Tokyo. He, however, was disqualified. Of course, it’s disappointing but imagine how he would have felt,” he was quoted as saying.
“The LA dream has to start now. We have to work for the gold now.” – Aug 13, 2024
