~getty image"THE STAR ONLINE"
Tuesday March 31, 2009
Azizul proves that size does not matter
PETALING JAYA: Azizul Hasni Awang stands at only 1.67m tall but he rose to make everyone take notice with his efforts in the just concluded World Track Championships in Pruszkow.
And he hoped that his silver medal-winning performances in the men’s sprint would make youngsters back home realise that they should not feel inferior just because they have smaller physiques.
Azizul or Awang as he is called in the world cycling fraternity came close to pulling off a big upset when he forced Frenchman Gregory Bauge to a deciding third heat in the blue-riband event of the track championships. The 21-year-old from Dungun has certainly achieved a feat for Asia, beating the taller and physically stronger Europeans at their own game. And nothing made him prouder than the moment when he stood on the podium and watching the Jalur Gemilang raised for the second time after Rizal Tisin took bronze in the 1km time trial two days earlier.
“After missing out on a place in the keirin final, I was determined not to go home without a medal,” he said in a telephone interview from Poland yesterday. “I did not have the luck to make the keirin final (he was placed 11th) and I knew it was even harder for me in the sprint as I had to take them on one to one. “Somehow I did it. I made a mistake in the third heat and I could not find the extra power in time to carry through. Otherwise, I could have won the gold. But I am still happy to bring home a medal. Hopefully, my achievement here will make people realise that size does not matter.”
The Malaysian track team of Azizul, Rizal and Josiah Ng will arrive home at the KLIA in Sepang today (3pm).
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