GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) 鈥� The tears came in a flood for Azizulhasni Awang as soon as he won.
He made his move in the keirin on the second-to-last bend, moved in front on the back straight, and crossed the finish line as the Commonwealth Games champion with his trademark mini wheelie.
Then the emotional Azizulhasni shed tears of joy while circling the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, when he got off his bike and raised the Malaysia flag, and during an emotional medal ceremony.
Malaysia’s anthem rang out for only the second time in the history of Commonwealth Games cycling. It could have been Azizulhasni again but in 2010 in New Delhi he lost the keirin gold medal by disqualification for dangerously sprinting between rivals. Teammate Josiah Ng was promoted to first place.
The 38-year-old Azizulhasni has indicated he will retire after the world track championships in China in October. But his results this year have convinced Malaysian officials that he should keep racing to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Azizulhasni won the World Cup keirins in Perth, Australia, in March and in front of family and compatriots in Nilai, Malaysia, in April and claimed the annual series title.
The Pocket Rocketman 鈥� he’s 5-foot-6 (1.68 meters) 鈥� is one of the greatest keirin riders ever. He was the world champion in 2017 and won an Olympic bronze in 2016 and silver in 2021.
But along with the medals and accolades, he’s had his fair share of setbacks. A year after the Delhi DQ, he crashed in a World Cup keirin and had his calf skewered by a 20-centimeter splinter of the wooden track. He still got up and finished third.
He missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games because he was recovering from open heart surgery to correct a coronary artery anomaly he had endured since birth. At the 2024 Paris Olympics he was DQ鈥檈d for getting ahead of the derny motorized pacer.
鈥淎zizul is brave, committed, intrinsically driven, fearless and possesses an unwavering belief in himself,鈥� coach John Beasley told The Star newspaper last week. 鈥漎es, he will be 40 at the Los Angeles Olympics, but history has shown that athletes can still succeed at that age.”
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