NILAI: Rising star Ridwan Sahrom has joined the Paris-bound Olympic cyclists as a training partner at their European camp.
The 23-year-old showed his prowess by winning gold in the team sprint and 1km time trial apart from a sprint silver and a keirin bronze at the National Championship recently.
National coach John Beasley said Ridwan's role as a training partner is vital for his older brother Shah Firdaus, Azizulhasni Awang and Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri.
"We are taking him along as a training partner. He has done well in the last few camps, which is good for him and the team.
"Ridwan stood up well. It's something for him to chase and take in during the camp. He will get to practise, and his speed is good now.
"He's consistently under 10 seconds, which is where we needed him, and he got there, which is good. The hardest part is to get athletes to be under 10 seconds. He will be a real handful in 12 months' time.
"He has stepped up above everyone else at local races and national championships. We needed someone to put their hand up, and he is doing well."
The team will leave for Silverstone, England, tomorrow for wind tunnel testing and skin suit fitting before heading to a training camp in Gent, Belgium, followed by a second camp in Mallorca, Spain.