Azizulhasni Awang advanced to the quarter-finals of the men’s individual sprint cycling event at the Izu Velodrome, remaining the sole Malaysian contender as the competition reached its critical stages. Azizul is set to compete against Japan’s Kanata Takahashi in the last eight.

Azizul secured his place by defeating David Beckham Elkatohchoongo of India in the first round, followed by a victory over Kazakhstan’s Kirill Kurdidi in the second round. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom was eliminated in the second round after a mixed performance. Shah Firdaus lost his initial race to Taiwan’s Kang Shih-feng but rebounded by winning a repechage round against Thailand’s Norasetthada Bunma. However, he was defeated by China’s Xie Han in the second round and finished third in his subsequent repechage group behind Kang and Hong Kong’s To Cheuk Hei, ending his bid to advance further.

National head coach Harnizam Basri highlighted Azizul’s strong form, noting that he recorded a time under the Games record during qualifying. Azizul posted a time of 9.467 seconds, narrowly missing his national record of 9.402 seconds set at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His performance places him among the top qualifiers for the event.

The competition featured fast times overall, with Japan’s Kaiya Ota topping the qualifying round at 9.400 seconds, setting a new Asian Games record and surpassing the previous mark of 9.623 seconds established by China’s Zhou Yu at the Hangzhou Games three years prior. China’s Li Shiwei was the second fastest qualifier at 9.444 seconds.

At 38 years old, Azizulhasni Awang is pursuing his third Asian Games gold medal. He previously won the keirin event at his debut in Guangzhou in 2010 and claimed the individual sprint title in Jakarta in 2018. With the current momentum, Azizul is expected to continue giving his best effort as he competes for another podium finish in this major international event.