Azizulhasni Awang out of keirin quarter-finals at Shanghai Track Worlds as Lavreysen wins fifth title

Datuk Azizulhasni Awang's search for a first world championship medal in six years will go into the final weekend after the Malaysian was knocked out of the keirin quarter-finals at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai on Thursday, 15 October. The newly crowned Asian Games and Commonwealth Games keirin champion finished sixth and last in his quarter-final heat, while Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands went on to win a record fifth world keirin title.

Strong start, then a quarter-final exit

Azizulhasni began well at the Shanghai Velodrome. He finished second in his first-round heat behind Japan's Kaiya Ota, the Asian Games sprint champion, by 0.006 seconds, Utusan reported. That was enough to send him straight through to the quarter-finals.

The third quarter-final heat was a different story. Germany's Maximilian Dörnbach won it, ahead of Colombia's Cristian Ortega, the Czech Republic's Dominik Topinka and Poland's Mateusz Rudyk. Only the top four went through to the semi-finals, and Azizulhasni crossed the line in sixth.

Malaysian reports said a tactical mistake in the heat cost the 38-year-old his chance of a medal.

Lavreysen breaks the keirin record

Lavreysen won the keirin final ahead of Dörnbach, with Japan's Shinji Nakano third, according to CyclingFlash. It was the Dutchman's fifth world keirin title after wins in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2025, which takes him past the four won by Britain's Sir Chris Hoy. It was also his 22nd world title across the sprint events.

Earlier in the week, Lavreysen was part of the Dutch team that won the men's team sprint.

Tough week for the rest of the Malaysian squad

The other Malaysian riders have already finished their events. In the men's team sprint qualifying on 14 October, Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom, Muhammad Fadhil Mohd Zonis and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom finished 16th in 44.815 seconds and missed the top-eight cut, Utusan reported. The women's team sprint squad were 11th in 48.366 seconds.

In the women's sprint, Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid qualified 23rd with a 200m time of 10.788 seconds. She then lost her 1/16 final to Britain's Rhianna Parris-Smith by 0.071 seconds. Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri lost her 1/16 final to Australia's Molly McGill by 0.043 seconds.

Sprint is Azizulhasni's last chance in Shanghai

The individual sprint gives Azizulhasni one more chance. Qualifying, the 1/16 finals and the 1/8 finals are scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, from 11am. The quarter-finals start at 5.30pm the same day. Shanghai is in the same time zone as Malaysia, so those are also Malaysian times. The semi-finals and final follow on Sunday, 18 October.

The championships also begin the qualification period for track cycling at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where Azizulhasni is aiming for a sixth Olympic Games.

Key takeaways

• Azizulhasni Awang finished sixth and last in his keirin quarter-final heat in Shanghai and is out of the medal race.
• He had won through his first-round heat as runner-up, 0.006 seconds behind Japan's Kaiya Ota.
• Harrie Lavreysen won a record fifth world keirin title, ahead of Maximilian Dörnbach and Shinji Nakano.
• Malaysia's men's and women's team sprint squads and both women's sprinters are already out.
• Azizulhasni's final event is the men's sprint, starting at 11am Malaysia time on 17 October.

FAQ

How did Azizulhasni do in the keirin at the 2026 Track Worlds? He reached the quarter-finals by finishing second in his first-round heat, then finished sixth in his quarter-final heat and was eliminated.

Who won the men's keirin world title in Shanghai? Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, with Germany's Maximilian Dörnbach second and Japan's Shinji Nakano third.

When does Azizulhasni race the sprint, in Malaysian time? Sprint qualifying starts at 11am on Saturday, 17 October, and the quarter-finals start at 5.30pm. The medal rounds are on Sunday, 18 October.

Sources: The Star, Utusan Malaysia, The Sun, CyclingFlash