KUALA LUMPUR: With gold eluding national shuttlers at the Paris Olympics, any realistic hopes of seeing Malaysia securing its first-ever gold medal at the games now rests on the shoulders of the track cycling squad.
While teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom is also seen as a contender, Azizulhasni Awang, keirin bronze medallist at Rio 2016 and silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, will again be the best bet for gold at the Saint Quentin en Yvelines Velodrome.
National track cycling programme technical director John Beasley said Azizulhasni is used to carrying the nation's hopes on his shoulders.
The 36-year-old is set to make his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, a record for a Malaysian male athlete.
"Azizul handles pressure incredibly well," said Beasley, who has been coaching Azizulhasni since he was a teenager.
"Does he feel it? Of course he does, he feels like he is carrying the weight of Malaysia on his shoulders sometimes.
"But that is because he is a winner, he wants to win for Malaysia and for himself, he just loves to compete.
"Pressure, however, is a good thing. It means that you are expected to be a contender.
"It is more about how you handle that pressure. He (Azizulhasni) handles it well by knowing that he has done everything he can in order to be competitive. Having done that, he just focuses on racing each race.
"If he loses, he gets disappointed though he processes things quickly. He evaluates, reflects and then moves forward. That is what champions do.
"He has been an incredible athlete over the past 17 years. I know Malaysians are proud of him, none more than me."
The 2017 world keirin champion is known to be very meticulous when it comes to preparing for races.
Azizulhasni, Shah and Izzah Izzati Asri have spent the past two months training and competing in Belgium and Spain in preparation for the Paris Olympics.
The trio arrived at the Olympic Games Village in Paris on Thursday.
The men's keirin begins on Saturday though Azizulhasni and Shah will first compete in the individual sprint event which starts on Wednesday.