OVER lunch in the secluded island of Mallorca, Spain on Wednesday, 17 July 2024, the Chef de Mission to the XXXIII Olympic Games Paris 2024, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, was given a lowdown on the Track Cycling team’s final lap of preparation before they saddle up for Paris later this month.
Boosting the confidence of the three cyclists – Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang OLY, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom OLY and Nurul Izzah Izzat Md Asri – was the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the upgraded version of WX-R Vorteq bikes, specially brought from the United Kingdom.
“Aside from sharing with them words of encouragement before they leave for Paris, I was given the full briefing on their status of preparation at the training camp.
“They are very excited and full of enthusiasm ahead of the Games. The opportunity to train using the new WX-R Vorteq machines has given them the much-needed impetus,” said Datuk Hamidin, who also visited the team while they were undergoing training at the Illes Balears Velodrome, equipped with a 250-metre track in length and 7m wide.
The velodrome, built in 2007, is part of a Multi-Sports Arena that has facilities for basketball, volleyball, indoor football and hockey.
Azizulhasni, who is about to make his fifth appearance on the Olympic stage, said that he, along with Shah Firdaus and Nurul Izzah, are determined to succeed at the Games.
“The three of us are in the best shape ahead of the Games. We are indeed thankful that we got to use the new bikes in Mallorca.
“For me personally, having won the bronze in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020, I am aiming for the pinnacle. Although there will be strong opposition from riders from the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and Great Britain, I believe I am on par with them, particularly now that we are equipped with an upgraded version of the machine.
“I want to prove something and repay the trust given to me all this time by bringing home the first Olympic gold medal for Malaysia.
“On this occasion too, on behalf of my two team mates, I would like to thank the Minister of Youth and Sports, Y.B. Hannah Yeoh, the President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), Tan Sri Dato’ Sri (Dr) Mohamad Norza Zakaria and the Road to Committee Gold (RTG), the National Sports Council (NSC) and the National Sports Institute (NSI) for all the help given including this new bike,” he said.
Nurul Izzah thanked all parties involved, especially the OCM, the NSC and the NSI for creating the enabling environment for her to qualify on merit for Paris, much ahead of schedule.
“Without their support and assistance, I would not have been here, close to making my debut at the Olympics. All along I was thinking of qualifying for Los Angeles 2028,” said Nurul Izzah.
Shah Firdaus who will appear for the second time at the Olympic Games after the 2020 edition in Tokyo, Japan, is praying for the best.
“Our preparation is going on smoothly. We pray that everything goes well when the Paris Games starts.”
The team are scheduled to check-in at the Games Village at St Denis, Paris, on 1 August. Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus are scheduled to enter the Men’s Sprint qualifiers on 7 August and Men’s Keirin on 10 August while Nurul Izzah is entered for the Women’s Keirin on 7 August and Women’s Keirin two days later. The venue is the National Velodrome, St Quentin-en-Yvelines, around 40km from Paris.
