Former cycling great backs Azizul, Rizal for Asian Games gold

PETALING JAYA: One can count the number of Malaysian cyclists who have bagged medals at the Asian level with one hand and it is why former cycling great Shaharudin Jaffar (pic) is gushing with pride at what cyclists like Azizul Hasni Awang and Rizal Tisin have achieved for the country recently.

Shaharudin, who made his way into the history books as the first Malaysian SEAP Games gold medallist in cycling when he won the 800m sprint race in Kuala Lumpur in 1965, now hopes Azizul and Rizal will end a miserably long drought when they compete in the Guangzhou Asian Games next year.

The last and only time the country hit the golden trail in the Asian Games was in Bangkok in 1970 and Shaharudin felt it is long overdue to see another Malaysian climb to the top of the podium.

Shaharudin is not in the best of health after undergoing a heart bypass surgery recently and is also down with a kidney problem. But the 68-year-old is adamant he will live to see the moment.

“We had two gold medals from cycling that year through Ng Joo Ngan and Daud Ibrahim.

“But no one has managed to win medals after that until Josiah Ng came into the picture in 2002.

“Now, we have cyclists like Azizul and Rizal, who are writing new chapters for Malaysian cycling.

“I hope they can end the gold-medal wait for Malaysia. They have won medals at the World Championships and the Asian Games should be no big obstacle if they get their preparations right.

“I hope the authorities will make efforts to check out the conditions of the venue too as this is very important,” said Shaharudin, who was also an Asian Games bronze medallist in 1962.

Due to his state of health, he is not able to drive on his own let alone have the chance to ride a bicycle.

However, the former secretary of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation in the 70s still keeps up with the exploits of the current generation of cyclists.

“I have always aspired to see the national cyclists rise to a greater level.

“Our national track cyclists are reaping the benefits from the overseas training stints and exposure to high-level competitions and much of it is because the National Sports Council recognised long ago that cycling had the potential to do well one day.

“It is not done overnight but we are seeing the fruits of the effort put in.

“It is not impossible for a Malaysian to become an Olympic champion in cycling as it is not about brute physical strength but more about tactics and determination.

“I saw how Azizul raced at the Beijing Olympics at that time and I knew he had these qualities. I am not surprised that he has won a silver medal in the sprint event at the World Championships in March this year. But there is a lot of hard work to do to bring back good results,” he added.

Shaharudin certainly is no stranger to hard work. He started cycling one year before Malaysia gained independence in 1957 but it was more of a need rather than a hobby.

“I used to cycle 15 miles to school in Sitiawan every day and that was how cycling became a part of me.

“It was common those days for us to ride our bikes to Penang or Kuala Lumpur to take part in local races as that was the only way for us to hone our skills.

“If we were not riding bikes, we will hitch rides on lorries travelling to those places and we stayed in a mosque to save money. There was no such thing as staying in a hotel because we did not have any money to spare.

“But our passion for cycling is there and we were determined to make sure we did not miss any opportunity we got to race,” added Shaharudin, who now resides in Shah Alam and still helps out in organising monthly community cycling programmes.

THE STAR

Shaharudin Jaffar (pic) is one of the ex - athletes inducted to OCM HALL OF FAME.