Cycling

Pocket Rocketman bids emotional farewell

THEIR glories or failures are well publicised, but the countless hours of hard work in training and sacrifices that world class athletes go through, often go unnoticed.

Former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang and his family live in Melbourne where the national elite track cycling squad are based.

The Pocket Rocketman shared an emotional moment with his children prior to leaving for Malaysia recently to begin his final lap of preparations for the Olympics on July 23-Aug 8.

"Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, my time has only been divided among two things - my training and my family. It has been nice to balance the two," said Azizulhasni in a social media posting.

"All the fatigue from training vanishes when my children run up to me when I come home from the velodrome.

"However, I feel sad when I remember one particular time when we (with daughters) had just finished our prayers.

"My youngest daughter Khadeeja was in tears. 'I don't want you to fly dad, I don't want you to leave us," she said.

"My eldest daughter Maryam has a similar character to me and is a bit more tough but she also cried, so did my wife. They didn't want me to leave them for months on end.

"I told them that I had to go because I have a great responsibility to the nation which I must fulfil.

"I told them not to be sad but to pray and proceeded to tell them about the story of Prophet Ibrahim, Siti Hajar and their son Prophet Ismail (about sacrifice). This calmed them down a bit.

"With a heavy heart I left Melbourne to head to the place where it all started (Malaysia) to undergo final preparations.

"It has been a challenging road to the Olympic competition (due to pandemic) with many question marks lingering.

"This will be my fourth appearance at the Olympics and I will do my best to achieve what we have been hoping for.

"This Olympic mission is not just about chasing a medal, it is also to inspire the public."

Azizulhasni and fellow national elite squad teammate, Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who has also qualified for the Olympics, are currently undergoing quarantine at the Paralympic Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan.

Once they have completed their quarantine, they will join the national backup squad for training at the National Velodrome in Nilai. The backup squad have been training under a bubble in anticipation of the duo's return.

On a separate note, the national paralympic contingent had good news yesterday as badminton players Cheah Liek Hou and Didin Taesoh, as well as wheelchair tennis player Abu Samah Borhan, confirmed their slots at the Tokyo Paralympics on Aug 24-Sept 5.

This is the first time Malaysia has qualified on merit in the wheelchair tennis event while para badminton is making its debut as a Paralympic sport in Tokyo.

Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican congratulated the trio for their achievement.

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