PETALING JAYA: National cyclists were delighted with news that Malaysia have been given two slots for road cycling at the London Olympics.
National champion Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin, of Terengganu Pro-Asia outfit, said it was just the perfect tonic for the team ahead of the Indonesia SEA Games, where road cycling will be held in Bandung, near Jakarta, from Nov 15-18.
“This is very good news for us as we prepare to win medals in road events in Indonesia. This also shows that our hard work last season had not gone to waste as we qualified for the Olympics on merit,” he said.
Malaysia were ranked fourth out of 17 countries in the UCI Asian rankings, with 374 points, at the end of the 2011 season (Oct-Oct) to earn two slots to the Olympics.
Iran reigned supreme at the top with 1,436 points, followed by Japan (1,012) and Uzbekistan (449).
Malaysia’s top point earners were Anuar Manan (Terengganu Pro-Asia) with 79 points, followed by Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman (Drapac Cycling) with 64 points and Shahrul 55 points.
Meanwhile Adiq, who finished ninth overall in the just-concluded Tour of Hainan last week, was also elated with the news.
The 20-year-old cyclist, who had a miserable debut at the World Championships (Under-23) in Denmark after being involved in a crash in the final kilometres of the race, said: “It is a rare feat that we qualified on merit for the Olympics.
“It shows how far we have progressed in road race. But our focus now is still on winning the gold medal in Jakarta.
“We have to prove that we are worthy of going to the Olympics,” added Adiq, who will compete in the road race with Shahrul in Jakarta.
THE STAR
National champion Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin, of Terengganu Pro-Asia outfit, said it was just the perfect tonic for the team ahead of the Indonesia SEA Games, where road cycling will be held in Bandung, near Jakarta, from Nov 15-18.
“This is very good news for us as we prepare to win medals in road events in Indonesia. This also shows that our hard work last season had not gone to waste as we qualified for the Olympics on merit,” he said.
Malaysia were ranked fourth out of 17 countries in the UCI Asian rankings, with 374 points, at the end of the 2011 season (Oct-Oct) to earn two slots to the Olympics.
Iran reigned supreme at the top with 1,436 points, followed by Japan (1,012) and Uzbekistan (449).
Malaysia’s top point earners were Anuar Manan (Terengganu Pro-Asia) with 79 points, followed by Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman (Drapac Cycling) with 64 points and Shahrul 55 points.
Meanwhile Adiq, who finished ninth overall in the just-concluded Tour of Hainan last week, was also elated with the news.
The 20-year-old cyclist, who had a miserable debut at the World Championships (Under-23) in Denmark after being involved in a crash in the final kilometres of the race, said: “It is a rare feat that we qualified on merit for the Olympics.
“It shows how far we have progressed in road race. But our focus now is still on winning the gold medal in Jakarta.
“We have to prove that we are worthy of going to the Olympics,” added Adiq, who will compete in the road race with Shahrul in Jakarta.
THE STAR
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