The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Rider Firdaus finishes in style to bag two golds in junior events
- MNCF say there is no need for two world class velodromes
- Rizal set for a return after one-month comprehensive training
| Rider Firdaus finishes in style to bag two golds in junior events Posted: 03 Jun 2013 06:38 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Muhd Firdaus Mohd Zonis earned his stripes in style by romping to a double to emerge as the most successful cyclist at the conclusion of the first leg of the South-East Asian Grand Prix at the Cheras Velodrome. Firdaus, of the national Pelapis squad, rode as the starter to lead team-mates Muhd Shah Sahrom and Asyraf Naim Ying to the men's junior team sprint title in 1:07.364 yesterday. Their time was better than the 1:08.213 set by seniors Mohd Edrus Yunos, Mohd Fattah Amri Zaid and Arfy Qhairant Amran, who beat Brunei to the elite team sprint gold medal. Firdaus went on to avenge his unexpected loss to team-mate Sahrom in the sprint final on Saturday by romping to victory in the keirin final yesterday and take his tally to three golds and one silver. The 16-year-old Firdaus, who bagged the 1km time trial gold on Friday, was happy to complete his outing on a high. "I lost the sprint gold to Sahrom on Saturday but I'm happy to come back well today. "I blocked his path well and now I've been told that I've confirmed my place for the World Championships (in Glasgow) in August. "The target was to get at least three gold medals. "I'll also be competing in the second leg this weekend and I'm aiming for a clean sweep this time," said Firdaus, who put up a breathtaking performance at the Asian Cycling Championships in New Delhi in March. He won golds in the 1km time trial, 200m sprint and keirin to become the second Malaysian after Azizulhasni Awang to claim the junior sprint treble. Melbourne-based Fatehah Mustapa also lived up to her reputation as the top woman track cyclist after bagging two more golds to take her tally to three. Fatehah was too powerful for the others as she breezed her way to the women's elite keirin title ahead of nearest challenger Ummi Hamimah. Fatehah and Ummi were gifted the team sprint title earlier after Jupha Somnet and Lauretta Eva Adrian were disqualified after twice coming out of the blocks too fast. Fatehah took the women's sprint on Saturday. Shane Perkins, the 2011 keirin world champion, had to concede defeat to Australian team-mate Scott Sunderland in his pet event. Peter Lewis completed a podium clean sweep for the Aussies by finishing ahead of two South Koreans – Kim Woo-yeong and Park Jin-chul – while Malaysia's Muhd Edrus Yunos finished last in the six-man keirin final. |
| MNCF say there is no need for two world class velodromes Posted: 03 Jun 2013 04:11 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Is it necessary to have two world class velodromes in the Klang Valley? No, according to the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF). The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) have already sold the site of the current Cheras Velodrome to a property developer who, in turn, has agreed to build a replacement indoor velodrome and identified a suitable site near the DBKL Swimming Complex. The old venue in Cheras is an outdoor velodrome and has a good history, having hosted the SEA Games and Asian Championships. However, it is susceptible to the harsh weather conditions. The Cabinet, meanwhile, has earlier agreed to build a RM79mil velodrome in Labu, Negri Sembilan. MNCF deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad said it was inevitable that a new velodrome would be built "as the current one is outdated and no longer suitable for international meets". "The land where the current velodrome is situated at is valuable ... it is inevitable that DBKL want to develop it," he said. "We need a good timber velodrome. A good Category One timber velodrome will cost at least RM80mil but it is affordable. "We have told DBKL that the new velodrome must be ready before they demolish the current one. "It is not feasible for us to have two new timber velodromes around Kuala Lumpur, which is why we also want to propose that the Youth and Sports Ministry and DBKL sit down and discuss this matter. "The money approved for building the velodrome in Labu could be channelled to the state associations for development. "The funding can also be used to build lower grade velodromes elsewhere in the country for training and hosting lower level competitions." If all goes well, the new velodrome in Cheras will be ready for use as early as in 2015, thus serving as a useful stop for the cyclists to acclimatise to the conditions before they head for the Rio Olympics in 2016. Malaysia can also apply to host the World Cup Classics once the new timber velodrome is ready. |
| Rizal set for a return after one-month comprehensive training Posted: 03 Jun 2013 04:11 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Former World Championships bronze medallist Rizal Tisin is set to be back in the fray among the elite after starting comprehensive training in Bukit Jalil last month. Rizal, who won the 1km time trial World Championship bronze medal in 2009, had to postpone his return to the track until recently after failing to expedite his clearance to attend training with his employers, the Public Services Commission. "I'm glad that I got the clearance to train properly now because all this while I've been training on my own," said Rizal. "Ever since I started training seriously, I've shed a few kilogrammes and that's good news to me ... but there is still much work to be done." Rizal's delay in resuming training has resulted in him missing the ongoing inaugural South-East Asian Grand Prix at the Cheras Velodrome. He will also give the second leg of the Grand Prix this weekend a miss. "I'll only compete in the national championships next weekend (June 12-15) in Cheras. I'm not hoping to produce anything great in the meet but it'll be a nice start for me after a long break," said Rizal, who last competed on the track in 2011 Asian Championships in Korat, where he won the 1km time trial. "After that I'll continue training in Melbourne with coach John Beasley ... I hope everything will go full swing from then on." |
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