KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, Malaysia’s gold medal hopeful was disqualified at the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s keirin in Heat 1 of the first round last night. Why?
According to officials, the man called “Pocket Rocketman” made the mistake of overtaking the derny just before it dropped from the track.
But what is a derny?
A derny is an electric motorcycle used to set the pace in racing events like the six-lap keirin.
In a keirin, once the race begins, the cyclists are not allowed to immediately sprint. Instead, the derny will set the pace for the race in the first three laps.
The derny enters the 1.5-km race at a speed of 30 km/h and the cyclists will tag along behind it, typically in a single file.
The order of the cyclists lining up is determined by drawing lots before the race, and they must remain in that order until the derny peels off from the track 750m before the race ends.
The derny can pace the cyclists to a maximum of 50 km/h to bring the riders up to speed before dropping out.
The riders can only begin sprinting after the derny exits upon completion of lap three.
So what caused Azizulhasni’s mistake?
According to national track cycling coach John Beasley, the derny last night did not even reach the maximum speed and exited the track at 45 km/h.
“The motorbike wasn’t going as fast as it should, it’s still at 45km/h, instead of 50km/h, but still the rule states, you can’t pass the bike.”
After the Pocket Rocketman made that mistake, the race was immediately suspended and a few minutes later, he was disqualified.
However since the rule was clear, there was no room to appeal the case.
According to American Broadcaster NBC, disqualification is automatic for riders who pass the leading edge of the front wheel of the derny’s motorcycle before the pursuit line when it leaves the track.
What has Azizulhasni and others said about it so far?
Azizulhasni is the most illustrious track cyclist in Malaysia, having won the 2017 keirin world championship, the Olympic bronze medal in Rio 2016 and the silver medal in Tokyo 2020.
This was his fifth and final Olympics after debuting in Beijing in 2008.
The 36-year-old said his action was unintentional, and it was done following the blocking and continuous pressure from French rider Rayan Helal.
He explained that the pacer’s speed before speeding out in the last lap would usually reaches 50-55km/h, but this did not happen.
“While I was struggling with the French rider, I noticed that the pacer had not yet accelerated out, so I was surprised, and tried to back pedal as a way to break but unfortunately did not have time to slow down as desired.
“Based on the racing rules, the rear tire of the racer cannot overtake the pacer before the pacer exits the pursuit line, which is a fine line in the middle of the front stretch [not the starting line].”
Beasley backed Azizulhasni’s decision:
“So we tried on every basis like the French rider stepping up and doing ... But you know, like give this a try?
“Well, we made a mistake, it’s our fault, we can’t take it back and we pay a big price for that.”
Malaysia’s Olympic Chef-de-Mission Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the contingent will continue to back Azizulhasni.
“The Malaysian contingent reluctantly accepts this decision and will give unwavering moral support to him. At the same time, the National Sports Institute (ISN) will also provide support services to Mohd Azizulhasni in facing this difficult situation.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also attempted to console him in a Facebook Story.
“You will always be the nation’s gem, thank you.”
Malaysia’s last hope for another medal on the final day lies with track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who advanced to the keirin quarter-finals today at 5.29pm, competing with 10 other riders.
