Following his heartbreaking disqualification during the 1st Heat of the Men’s Keirin competition at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, ‘Pocket Rocketman’ Azizulhasni Awang has received many heartfelt messages and tributes, including from retired Squash champion Nicole David.
Today, Azizul also announced his retirement from the sport after an illustrious career.
Terengganu Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri bin Mokhtar also took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to share his heartfelt tribute for the Pocket Rocketman, which is fitting given that Azizulhasni hails from Terengganu.
Terengganu Menteri Besar’s heartfelt tribute to Azizulhasni
However, Ahmad Samsuri’s tribute was largely met with backlash from netizens due to him sharing more photos of himself rather than of the national cyclist.
In the post, the Terengganu Menteri Besar thanked Azizulhasni for his many sacrifices and unfaltering determination shown for his beloved country.
Ahmad Samsuri also said that there may be a silver lining to what happened to Azizulhasni and expressed heartfelt gratitude to him, his coach and all of his supporters.
The Terengganu Menter Besar asserted,
“Thank you Jijoe, coaches and all who supported. We are always with you.”
With the post, Ahmad Samsuri attached 4 photos which he credited to an individual named Fiz Said. The 1st photo is of Azizulhasni being comforted by his coach John Beasly after the disqualification.
Meanwhile, the other 3 are of the Terengganu Menteri Besar and various other individuals who went to Paris to show their support to the Pocket Rocketman.
Malaysians bash Ahmad Samsuri for putting more photos of himself than Azizulhasni’s in the tribute post
In the replies to the X post, many Malaysians took exception to Ahmad Samsuri putting more photos of himself than Azizulhasni’s in the post.
Several commenters questioned why the Terengganu Menteri Besar only put 1 photo of the individual he’s giving tribute to while putting thrice as many photos that featured himself.
Meanwhile, one commenter even went as far as questioning the need for the Terengganu Menteri Besar to put a photo of himself in the post if it’s dedicated to Azizulhasni.
In a quote repost which went viral with over 3,100 likes and 2,000 reposts, X user @mypolitiko asserted,
“Tribute for Jijoe. But there’s only 1 photo of Jijoe. The rest are his own photos 🤣🤣”
Tribute untuk Jijoe. Tapi gambar Jijoe satu. Yang lain gambar dia🤣🤣 https://t.co/ZaSPuGD9wF
— MYpolitiko #FreePalestine🇵🇸 (@mypolitiko) August 11, 2024
So, what do you guys make of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments
Also read: “I want to thank you” – Datuk Nicol David Shares Heartfelt Message For Azizulhasni Awang