Azizulhasni to end year as No. 1 in keirin
Published on: Friday, December 09, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: Azizulhasni "Pocket Rocket" Awang is set to end the year as the world's No. 1 ranked men's keirin cyclist.The Star reported that the 28-year-old had topped the latest UCI world ranking for keirin with 2,470 points. Ukraine's Andrii Vynokurov, the silver medallists at the European Championships in France in October, is second with 2,380 points.
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The Czech Republic's Tomas Babek, who won the World Cup legs in Apeldoorn (Holland) and Glasgow (Scotland) last month, is third with 2,305 points.Malaysia's Muhd Shah Firdaus Sahrom also reached a career high No. 14 following semi-final finishes in the World Cup meets in Apeldoorn and Glasgow. This is the third time that Rio Olympic bronze medallist Azizul has grabbed the world No. 1 spot.He reached the summit for the first time in 2010 and again in February before going on to take bronze in the World Track Championships in London the following month."Feeling stoked to stand on top of the world again.
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"Thanks to every single one of you who always gave me huge support. "It's a big honour for myself and for the country to get back the world No. 1 ranking. "I will let the results do the talking."The process continues as I look to achieve my dream of winning the Olympic gold medal in Japan in 2020," said Azizul, who has returned to his Melbourne base to resume training after a three-month break.
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Azizul is expected to compete in the Asian Cycling Championships in New Delhi, India, from Feb 6-10.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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It will be his first outing next year and Azizul intends to make a strong bid to regain the men's keirin Asian championships gold medal he last won in Korat, Thailand, last year. He took bronze in this year's edition in Shizuoka, Japan, in January.Azizul is expected to return to Kuala Lumpur next August to spearhead the national team's bid to dominate track cycling events in the KL SEA Games at the Nilai Velodrome in Negri Sembilan.