KUALA LUMPUR: Hours after bagging an historic bronze medal in the keirin at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, cyclist Azizulhasni Awang launched a cheeky tirade against Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman.
With a hint of sarcasm, Azizulhasni thanked Ahmad Razif for what he claimed was a failure to support him and the country's other Olympic cyclist Fatehah Mustapa despite requests made for the sponsorship of road bicycles for them to train being submitted a year ago.
The 28-year old, who became the country's first ever Olympic medal-winning cyclist in the wee hours of this morning, had posted a lengthy thank you note on his Facebook page to all those who had supported him throughout his career.
Slotted in between his words of gratitude to his parents, the Youth and Sports Ministry and a touching note to his late coach Rozimi Omar, who passed away on November 1 last year, was a paragraph of criticism of Ahmad Razif.
"Fatehah and I still want to thank you though you refused to help Fatehah and myself, who are both Terengganu-born who have reached world and Olympic levels," he wrote.
“Thank you for not sponsoring us the ‘Roadbikes’ for us to use in preparation for the Olympic Games despite a proposal being sent about a year prior to the Rio Olympics.
“Thank you too for not giving us any feedback and staying silent when my manager called you. For your knowledge, Fatehah and I who are world and Olympic class athletes have always been overlooked by you. Maybe it is because of the fact that we trained overseas."
Azizulhasni went on to say that despite the rejection, both cyclists were still proud representatives of Terengganu and will still continue to pursue their careers with or without support from the state government.
It is understood that the Terengganu government had provided Azizulhasni and Fatehah with support when they prepared for the 2012 Olympics in London.