PUTRAJAYA, Feb 28 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has praised national cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang for his approach to sports, saying she was not surprised by his silver medal finish in the keirin event of UCI Nations Cup Championship in Jakarta recently.

Yeoh described the 2017 keirin world champion as an athlete who is always thirsty for victory and strives to improve himself.

She said the 35-year-old athlete nicknamed Pocket Rocketman does not have a ‘victim’ mindset and proved so through his latest achievement, despite having undergone open heart surgery in April last year.

"Sports champions cannot have a victim mindset. From what I see, he excels in this aspect compared to other athletes; he does not offer excuses and will work around his limitations to improve himself.

"I hope he can help other athletes to adopt the same mentality,” she said when met at the ministry’s Open Day at Menara KBS here today.

Yeoh said in sports, mental strength and perseverance are just as important as physical endurance.

Victim mentality is a trait of a person who tends to blame others and claims himself to be a victim of circumstances.

Mohd Azizulhasni, who won the keirin silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 and bronze in the same event at Rio Olympics 2016, brought home the silver medal from Jakarta after finishing just 0.024s behind Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen in the final last Saturday.

He was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the sprint event the following day.

When asked how the ministry would continue helping Mohd Azizulhasni to prepare for Paris Olympics 2024, Yeoh said it would be announced soon after her ministry had finalised the ‘Road To Gold’ Committee. — Bernama