KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — National track cycling ace Mohd Azizulhasni Awang received a massive boost in his quest for glory in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after he rose five spots in the keirin event of the International Cycling Union (UCI) rankings.
Based on the latest rankings posted on the UCI website; www.uci.org today, the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist is now in second spot with 2,560 points, while Japanese rider Nitta Yudai remains in top spot with 2,740 points in the keirin event.
Yudai’s teammate Yuta Wakimoto dropped one spot to third by amassing 2528.5 points.
Another Malaysian rider, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, also rose three spots to 20th place with 1,581 points.
In the sprint rankings, Mohd Azizulhasni also showed steady progress by jumping two rungs to 20th place with 1,596 points, while Muhammad Shah Firdaus made a huge step in his bid to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics by soaring seven rungs to 26th place with 1,357 points.
The rankings came as no surprise for both riders as they secured positive results in three tournaments last month — National Track Cycling Championships and the South East Asia Cup Grand Prix at the National Velodrome in Nilai, and the China Track Cup International One in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) wrested the top spot in the UCI Asia Tour Ranking (road race) from another local team, Sapura Cycling Team (TSC), by collecting 1,928 points while the latter garnered 1,883.97 points.
UCI Rankings:
Keirin:
1. Nitta Yudai (JPN) 2,740 pts
2. Mohd Azizulhasni Awang (MAS) 2,560 pts
3. Yuta Wakimoto (JPN) 2,528.5 pts
74. Mohamad Shahriz Efendi Mohd Shahrin 630 pts
82. Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis 570 pts
Sprint:
1. Harrie Lavreysen (NED) 3,410 pts
2. Jeffrey Hoogland (NED) 3,235 pts
3. Matthew Glaetzer (AUS) 3,062.5 pts …..
20. Mohd Azizulhasni Awang 1,596 pts
26. Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom 1,357 pts
112. Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis 432 pts
132. Mohammad Shahriz Efendi Mohd Shahrin 350 pts — Bernama
