KUALA LUMPUR – It was another heartbreaking day for the Malaysian track cycling team, as Shah Firdaus Sahrom not only missed out on a podium finish but was also relegated in the men’s keirin final at the Paris Olympics today.
With “Pocket Rocketman” Datuk Azizulhasni Awang disqualified in the first round on Saturday, the nation’s hopes for a medal rested on the shoulders of the 28-year-old Shah Firdaus.
The Kuala Selangor-born cyclist delivered an impressive performance, advancing through the quarter-finals and making it to the final stage with a stroke of luck in the semi-finals.
Although he finished fourth in the second heat of the semi-finals at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Shah Firdaus reached the final after Japan’s Ota Kaiya, who initially placed third, was disqualified for a technical infringement.
In the intense final, Shah Firdaus appeared to have done everything right and looked set for a podium finish. However, just 30 metres from the finish line, Japan's Shinji Nakano crashed into him.
Both Nakano and Great Britain’s Jack Carlin, who was also involved in the crash, did not finish the race.
Tokyo Olympics keirin bronze medallist Harrie Lavreysen secured his hat-trick of gold medals in Paris — having already won individual and team sprint gold — by finishing ahead of Australia’s Matthew Richardson, who took silver.
Another Australian, Matthew Glaetzer, who would have finished last if not for the crash, came in third to claim the bronze.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Shah Firdaus can hold his head high, especially considering he did not even make it past the quarter-finals in Tokyo three years ago. – August 11, 2024
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