KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang missed a chance to add another medal to his glittering trophy cabinet after withdrawing from the Sprint race at the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) Nations Cup sprint event, due to symptoms of pericarditis, today.
The 36-year-old had to withdraw from the sprint event bronze medal decider against the host country’s 2018 world champion Matthew Glaetzer in Adelaide, Australia after experiencing the symptoms after the semi-final race.
The ‘Pocket Rocketman’ who bagged gold in his pet event, keirin, yesterday, said he was advised to withdraw from the bronze medal contention race to avoid overstraining his heart, after consultation with doctor.
“Despite the challenges, it was a productive day after the keirin race yesterday, and I gave my best in the sprint today. I am grateful for everyone’s support and concern, and I apologize for not being able to complete the race.
“Now, my focus is on recovery, and I will resume training as soon as I am fit again. Thank you all for your understanding and encouragement,” he posted in his social media platform.
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the thin sac that surrounds the heart, that often causes sharp chest pain.
Earlier, Mohd Azizulhasni, who beat Britain’s Jack Carlin in the quarter-finals, missed the final after going down to another Australian, Matthew Richardson, in the semi-finals.
Hangzhou Asian Games champion Kaiya Ota of Japan clinched the gold medal, after beating Richardson in the final.
Malaysia’s another representative, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who was injured after a crash during training on Jan 23, was eliminated in the qualifying round after finishing 32nd (10.150 seconds), since only the top 28 advance to the 1/16 finals.
Meanwhile, Anis Amira Rosidi and Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri failed to progress beyond the first round in the women’s keirin event. – Bernama
