KUALA LUMPUR: Three national track cyclists led by Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang (pix) will be in Europe for almost two months as part of their final preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
National cycling squad head coach John Beasley said Azizulhasni, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, will go to Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain to undergo training and participate in several competitions there.
He said that they would conduct the final test on the entire set of equipment in the United Kingdom before competing in the Olympics.
“On June 6, we will be going to Belgium for a few weeks and will participate in a tournament at the end of June and will go to Mallorca (Spain) in July and then to the Games,“ he said when met recently.
Commenting further, Beasley said that before going to Europe the three riders will undergo intensive training at the National Velodrome in Nilai starting next week.
He also did not rule out the possibility that the country’s trio will also participate in the 2024 National Track Cycling Championships in Nilai, scheduled from May 20-24.
In the meantime, the Australian coach said he and Mohd Azizulhasni will leave for London early next week to undergo aero tests.
Beasley said that in Paris, the riders will be utilising newly designed bikes reminiscent of those used in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but upgraded with cutting-edge technology.
Last Monday, Acting Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill confirmed that Mohd Azizulhasni, along with Muhammad Shah and Nurul Izzah had unofficially qualified for the Paris Olympics based on the points collected by the trio.
He said the official list is scheduled to be sent to the National Olympic Council this month.
Paris 2024 is scheduled from July 26 to Aug 11.
