KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his appreciation to national track cycling ace Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, who competed in the men’s keirin race at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games yesterday.

"You will always be the nation’s gem, thank you,” said the Prime Minister in a post uploaded on his Facebook Story, accompanied by a background image of the athlete.

Malaysia’s best hope for its maiden Olympic gold was disqualified from the race for overtaking the derny (motorbike pacer), before the derny left the track during the first round Heat 1 at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome.

The reigning silver medallist was supposed to race against Australian Matthew Glaetzer, Rayan Helal of France, Japanese Kaiya Ota, Jeffrey Hoogland from the Netherlands and Jair Tjon En Fa of Suriname.

Glaetzer won the first heat just ahead of Hoogland. — Bernama