Azizul, Shah felt the weight of a nation - Former Olympian
Cyclists deserve support, not blame, says Ng
SHARIFAH SHAHIRAH
SHAH ALAM - Olympian Josiah Ng believes that Malaysia's track cyclists, Datuk Azizulhasni Awang and Muhamad Shah Firdaus Sahrom were under immense pressure to secure a gold medal for the country.
In a recent post on his official Instagram account, Ng shared his thoughts on the challenges faced during the men’s keirin event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Ng emphasised the high expectations for both cyclists to bring home Malaysia's first and only gold medal, reflecting the nation's long-standing hopes and dreams.
“Thinking that we believe you, thinking you can do it, you can win gold.
"They carry the entire country's expectations on their backs. And I can just imagine Azizul and Shah trying to sleep over the next two weeks.
"It's not just the physical toll but the emotional toll that really gets to them,” he said in the video posted on Thursday.
In the video, Josiah further stated that from his standpoint, he saw two gladiators competing fairly with everything on the line for the bronze medal.
“All that pressure is basically the worst nightmare scenario in a fairytale career.
"However, we now have a significant legacy as one of the few countries to have had an athlete represent us in the final of the Keirin in five out of the last six Olympic Games,” he added.
Josiah highlighted Malaysia's status as a Keirin powerhouse, having secured medals in two out of six Olympics and having a finalist in five out of six.
He praised the achievement given Malaysia's limited track cycling background.
Shah was initially listed in fourth place in the men’s keirin final but was later relegated to sixth due to a collision with Nakano that also involved Jack Carlin.
The updated official results awarded gold to Harry Lavreysen of the Netherlands, with Matthew Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer of Australia taking silver and bronze, respectively.
Azizulhasni was disqualified from the first heat of the men’s keirin event at Velodrom Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines for unintentionally overtaking the derny (pacer bicycle).
Malaysia concluded its Paris Olympic campaign with two bronze medals: one from Lee Zii Jia in the men’s singles badminton and the other from the men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
