KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — National track cycling head coach, John Beasley has reiterated his plan to remain with the Malaysian team to ‘finish his job’ before leaving.
After serving the national team for 11 years, the Australian’s contract is due at the end of this year, but he has set his sights on producing and developing more young talents, besides delivering the country’s first Olympics gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020.
“My plan is to stay here as long as Malaysia wants….By the time Malaysia says we do not need you anymore, I will leave. I have been offered other jobs, but we have started something here and have not finished yet.
“I want to leave a big legacy plan for Malaysia, which will be successful long after my absence. Even now, the young coaches have done an excellent job for the SEA Games. I just manage and support them; the level of coaching is rising,” he told reporters at the Sime Darby Foundation’s Road to Tokyo 2020 press conference, here, today.
It was reported that Beasley had received offers from countries like United Arab Emirates, Japan and Iran in the past, but he remains hopeful to continue coaching and developing Malaysian talents, including keirin world champion Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, Fatehah Mustapa and Muhd Shah Firdaus Sahrom.
“My role is to develop the cyclists on and off the bike as a holistic approach to making them great citizens and useful for Malaysian society, like coaching or be in the corporate sector one day,” he said.
Meanwhile, World Cup keirin bronze medallist, Muhd Shah Firdaus is ready to take the responsibility of replacing Rio Olympics bronze medallist Mohd Azizulhasni, when he is required to do so.
“It is our duty to the country to be always ready to serve if our services are needed. Each time we race, we carry the country’s name, so we must always be prepared.
“I am still new, still green and have a lot more to learn. At the recent SEA Games, I learned a few things which I can apply in the coming championships, as people say experience can beat talent, so experience is definitely important,” said the 21-year-old.
Azizulhasni, 28, who is known as ‘The Pocket Rocketman’, had recently said that the KL2017 would be his final SEA Games as he wanted to give the budding cyclists a chance to prove their worth.
At the SEA Games, Shah Firdaus clinched the men’s team sprint gold and two silvers in the men’s keirin and sprint events, only behind Azizulhasni in both events.
Sime Darby Foundation (SDF) chairman, Tun Musa Hitam said the foundation would continue to invest in and support budding athletes to encourage their development for them to reach greater heights in the sport, after the newly formed SDF track team bagged three gold and five silver medals at the SEA Games, where Malaysia claimed 11 gold, seven silver and a bronze from the 13 track disciplines contested.
The foundation had allocated RM2.6 million for the team comprising Shah Firdaus, Muhammad Khairil Nizam Rasol, Mohamad Shariz Efendi Mohd Shahrin, Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis, Farina Shawati Mohd Adnan and Anis Amira Rosidi under the Road to Tokyo 2020 programme. — Bernama
