KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — “Baton has been passed. Off to you my bro.” This was the motivating message from national track cyclist Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang to heir apparent Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom at the end of their Paris 2024 Olympics campaign.

Mohd Azizulhasni, known as ‘The Pocket Rocketman,’ hopes that the 28-year-old cyclist from Muar, Johor, will begin preparing for the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Olympics starting now, even though it may seem too early.

He believes that greater things are in store for Muhammad Shah Firdaus at LA28 after his success in entering the keirin final at Paris 2024, a feat which should be acknowledged by all.

“Congratulations my bro Shah Firdaus... In the final 100 metres of the race (in Paris), Shah came with a convincing speed good enough for at least a bronze medal, but there was a crush in the last corner that caused him to fall.

“It was a performance we should all be proud of, and I hope Shah will continue to work hard to improve his performance over time to remain excellent on the international stage,” he said on Instagram today.

Bernama yesterday reported that Mohd Azizulhasni might not be around for LA28 as he has promised his family that Paris 2024 will be his last Olympics following his open heart surgery in April 2022.

The 36-year-old cyclist ended his Paris 2024 campaign on a sad note after he was disqualified in the first round of the keirin event on Aug 10 for overtaking the derny.

Azizulhasni is the country’s most successful track cyclist, having won the keirin gold at the 2017 World Championships and was the first Malaysian cyclist to win an Olympic medal, securing bronze at Rio 2016 and a silver at Tokyo 2020 in the keirin event

Muhammad Shah Firdaus raised hopes of securing Malaysia’s first-ever Olympics gold by placing himself in third spot with about 25 metres left in the race but was nudged by Japanese cyclist Shinji Nakano, causing him and Great Britain’s Jack Carlin to fall.

Despite sustaining minor injuries after being dragged several metres, the cyclist nicknamed ‘Shah The Terminator’ got up and pushed his bike to the finish line, finishing in fourth place.

However, he was relegated to sixth place for entering the Japanese cyclist’s path. — Bernama