KUALA LUMPUR: Two-time Olympic medallist Azizulhasni Awang stands at a critical crossroads as he considers his next move.
The Pocket Rocketman had hinted at retiring after the Paris Olympics, but his team are rallying behind him, urging him to keep the pedals turning until the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
By then, he will be 40, and the challenge of chasing Malaysia's elusive Olympic gold will be even tougher.
Health concerns also loom large, especially after his surgery for an anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery (AAORCA) two years ago.
But the story isn't over yet. Azizulhasni has a shot at redemption when he competes at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Ballerup, Denmark, from October 16-20.
Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Jeswant Dillon, senior consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the National Heart Institute (IJN), assures that there's no immediate concern, giving Azizulhasni the green light to keep competing, at least for now.
He added that Azizulhasni needs time to decide his next course of action and believes the former keirin world champion can still deliver results.
"It's a legitimate question, it's short-term, but give him some time (to decide); he's a fighter. He's someone who has overcome so many setbacks. Nobody comes from heart surgery and performs at an elite level," said Jeffrey, who was with the track cyclist during the Paris Olympics and training camp in Mallorca.
"He is in peak physical condition. Of course, there were concerns after his heart surgery, but we had him on a two-phase schedule for recovery: as an individual who had gone through heart surgery and as an athlete coming back to elite performance.
"He surprised us on both counts in terms of the timeline, so that encouraged us.
"We worked together in planning with the team from the National Sports Council (NSI), his coach John Beasley, and my counterpart in Australia, where he had his initial treatment.
"He's a special person with remarkable motivation to achieve what he had set in his mind, so we didn't need to push him.
"There is some narrative being said that there was too much pressure put on him, but we didn't need to apply pressure.
"He knows and puts the pressure on himself, so we don't add anything — not the rakyat Malaysia or anything."
Dr Jeffrey added: "Azizulhasni was ready and at a very good point because the confidence he gave trickled down to everyone. The team were geared up and confident."
Azizulhasni's campaign at the Paris Olympics ended in heartbreak after he was disqualified in the first heat of the men's keirin event for overtaking the derny.
However, he showed great potential in the sprint event, reaching the 1/8 finals after breaking the national record by setting a new mark of 9.402 seconds to finish 10th in the qualifying round, surpassing the previous mark of 9.523 seconds set at the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) in Nilai last year.
For the record, Azizulhasni won a bronze at Rio 2016 and a silver at Tokyo 2020 — both in keirin.