KUALA LUMPUR: Track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang has nothing to lose at the Paris Olympics following his return to the sport after open-heart surgery in 2022.
The 36-year-old underwent open-heart surgery to correct his Anomalous Right Coronary Artery (ARCA), a condition he had since birth.
The Dungun-born cyclist, who won bronze at Rio 2016 and silver at Tokyo 2020, eventually recovered and returned to the track.
He is now ready to make his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris.
Azizulhasni, who hopes to win Malaysia's first Olympic title in Paris, shared on social media that he feels immense gratitude after recovering from the ARCA surgery.
"Of course, I was unconscious during surgery, and it took quite a long time. Early the next morning, I almost woke up," he posted.
"I lay motionless on the bed, and I could see my body covered with wires. I was terrified. There was a tube in my nose. My neck was punctured, and there was a tube.
"I also had tubes all over my body. I was speechless. It felt as if I had just regained life. Allahuakbar!
"After recovering from the surgery and that incident, I woke up every day with an indescribable sense of gratitude. Whatever I would face in life after that, my mindset was - 'I have nothing to lose'."
The National Sports Institute (NSI) has enlisted heart specialist Datuk Seri Dr. Jeffrey Jeswant Dillon to monitor Azizulhasni at the Paris Olympics.
The Pocket Rocketman is training with Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri in Mallorca, Spain, under the watchful eyes of national track coach John Beasley. They will head to Paris on Aug. 1.
Azizulhasni will compete in the keirin and sprint events.