The Pocket Rocketman’s hunt for the gold medal in the Paris Olympics was over after the legendary track cyclist was disqualified during the 1st heat of the men’s keirin event.
The man himself, Azizulhasni Awang has since shared the story from his side via a Facebook post this morning (August 11).
“I was blocked and squeezed by the French rider (Rayan Helal)”
In the lengthy Facebook post, Azizulhasni said he was blocked by the French rider after passing the 3rd corner and before entering the 4th corner. The Rocketman believes that the intensity of the aggressiveness was done ON PURPOSE.
“The bump was too aggressive and for me, it was intentionally aggressive because it hit me and I almost fell.”
Fortunately, he survived the fall and he thanked his quick reaction, as well as his good handling skills for that.
Azizulhasni had a plan initially which didn’t happen, and he shared what he had on his mind before he fell.
“I had only 1 more lap. I started to gradually move forward from the back, similar to what I did at the Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpur. The plan was to move forward and position myself on the outside of the 1st or 2nd rider, and after the pacer exited, I would accelerate to take the lead position.”
Azizulhasni added that the aggressive squeezing was not the only thing he noticed.
“He continued to closely follow and tried to squeeze me again. At this point, my reaction told me to move forward to avoid him.”
He also said that as an elite Keirin racer, he knew the speed of the pacer. Usually in the last, the pacer will accelerate out after passing turn four from a speed of 50 to 55km/h. In his case, the pacer moved slower than the actual speed and did not accelerate out after turn 4.
“I was struggling with the French rider, and noticed that the pacer had not yet accelerated out. I was surprised, so I tried to backpedal as a way to brake, but unfortunately did not have time to slow down.”
Did Azizul’s rear wheel overtake the pacer before the pacer exited?
Azizulhasni said YES.
However, he said that it was unintentional and there were 2 reasons for that.
“It was due to the continuous blocking and squeezing by the French rider, and the pacer was moving at only 40-45 km/h, not the usual speed.”
Azizulhasni also remarked that a similar situation had occurred in other races, and told fans to continue their prayers and support for Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who would be among the last hopes to bring home the gold medal.
Regardless, Azizulhasni remains the Pocket Rocketman in our hearts! Thank you for your efforts and your fight on the track, Rocketman! We’re proud of you and we’ll always be!
