SHIZUOKA, Oct 1 — National track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang bounced back from his semi-final disappointment to win the men’s individual sprint bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games at the Izu Velodrome here today.

The Pocket Rocketman defeated Thailand’s Jai Angsuthasawit in the bronze-medal ride-off to add another medal to Malaysia’s tally.

Mohd Azizulhasni, who won gold in the same event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, had earlier missed out on a place in the final after losing both semi-final rides to China’s Li Zhiwei. The gold medal eventually went to Japan’s Kaiya Ota.

The 38-year-old, however, responded strongly in the bronze-medal race to complete the podium and claim his first medal of the Games.

Earlier, Mohd Azizulhasni advanced to the semi-finals after beating host representative Kanata Takahashi 2-0 in the quarter-finals, having posted the third-fastest time in qualifying.

Mohd Azizulhasni will now turn his attention to the keirin, which gets under way tomorrow, with another chance to add to his medal haul in his favourite event.

Malaysia’s track cycling squad has also won a silver in the women’s team sprint and bronze through Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri in the women’s keirin. — Bernama