KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang is not only admired by fellow Malaysians but also highly respected by other riders in the continent.
India’s rising star Ronaldo Laitonjam is one who adores the 35-year-old Terengganu-born for his charisma and fighting spirit to challenge physically advantaged riders from other regions, especially Europe.
“Azizul’s mental state is very strong; we admire and adore him a lot. When he competes in any Asian tournament, the riders will be crazy looking at him, a role model for Asia,” he told reporters recently.
The 21-year-old Ronaldo also hopes to train under Mohd Azizulhasni, if the Pocket Rocketman is willing to become the Indian national team’s coach after his retirement.
Ronaldo had earlier watched Mohd Azizulhasni repeat his double-gold feat in the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) 2023 at the National Velodrome in Nilai by winning the sprint and keirin titles.
Hailing from the north-eastern state of Manipur, Ronaldo himself is considered India’s next big star, having won the country’s first-ever silver medal in senior track cycling through men’s sprint in last year’s ACC held in New Delhi.
This time in Nilai, he bagged the 1KM individual time trial (ITT) silver medal by cracking his own national record of 1 min and 01.724 sec, after posting 1:00.863s to finish behind the hosts’ Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis.
“The competition in Asia is very strong for me, especially to face riders from Japan, China and Malaysia. Last year Fadhil won silver and I won bronze (in ITT); this time he won gold and I won silver. Hopefully, next year I can win the title.
“I am really happy and appreciate Malaysian riders and have some good friends here as we have been competing together since junior days. I have also learnt a lot from Azizulhasni, and now I have gained some experience from the Malaysian team. Racing in this scenario is really good,” he said.
Asked about his popular name being linked to footballers - former Brazil star Ronaldo Nazario and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo - the four-time ACC medallist clarified that he was actually named after former Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho.-Bernama
