Pocket Rocketman gets another jab

Cyclist Azizulhasni Awang's Olympic mission literally received a shot in the arm after getting his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

The 2017 world champion was fully inoculated at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Monday, while teammate Mohd Shah Firdaus Sharom received his first shot.

"I had my first dose of the vaccine in Melbourne last month, and now I feel like I've done my part as a responsible athlete who will be going to a big assignment like the Olympics," he said.

"It will be my fourth Olympics, but it surely will be unlike my previous ones with all the safety and health protocols in place."

Azizul and Shah, who returned from Melbourne on June 7 for their final lap of preparation for the Olympics, at the National Velodrome in Nilai, had just completed their 14-day quarantine.

Azizul, 33, said it was important for everyone to take the Covid-19 vaccine not only to protect themselves but also their loved ones as well as to help the country achieve herd immunity.

"I want to help dispel doubts among those still unsure about the halal status of the vaccines. The Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia has decided that taking this vaccine is mandatory," he said on his social media posting.

"Similarly at international level, the leading institution of al-Azhar al-Sharif chaired by Sheikh al-Azhar Sheikh Dr Ahmad al-Tayyib has also ruled that taking the vaccine is compulsory."