Track Worlds in Shanghai: Malaysia's sprint squad named as Shah Firdaus' team sprint role is left open

Malaysia's track sprinters head to the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai, which run from Wednesday 14 October to Sunday 18 October at the Shanghai Velodrome. Coach Harnizam Basri has not yet decided what role Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom will play in the men's team sprint. Team sprint line-ups can be changed until shortly before the race, so the call will be made on the day. Shanghai and Malaysia share the same time zone (UTC+8), so session times are the same in both places.

The Shah Firdaus question

Shah Firdaus, one of Malaysia's most experienced sprinters, has been training with the team-sprint group. According to cycling site TrackPiste, he cannot ride the individual sprint events because Malaysia has only one men's spot there. That spot is expected to go to Datuk Azizulhasni Awang.

The men's team sprint pool includes Fadhil Mohd Zonis, Akmal Nazimi Jusena and Ridwan Sahrom, Shah Firdaus' younger brother. All three raced at the Asian Games last month and are seen as the likely starters. Malaysia will not enter any endurance events.

Azizulhasni, 38, still the spearhead

Azizulhasni comes to Shanghai in strong form for a rider who turned 38 this year. On 2 October he won the men's keirin at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Izu Velodrome. It was his second Asian Games keirin gold, 16 years after his first, and it was described as his Asian Games farewell. Earlier this year he also won the keirin at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The "Pocket Rocketman" won the keirin world title in Hong Kong in 2017. He also has two Olympic keirin medals: bronze at Rio 2016 and silver at Tokyo 2020.

Women's sprinters build on Asian Games silver

The women's squad is Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid and Nurul Aliana Syafika Azizan, with Anis Amira Rosidi as reserve. Izzah Izzati and Nur Alyssa are set to ride both the individual sprint and the keirin. The time trial has been dropped from Izzah Izzati's programme.

At the Asian Games, Izzah Izzati, Anis Amira and Nur Alyssa won women's team sprint silver behind China. They set a national record of 48.023 seconds in qualifying.

Key sessions in Malaysia time

The published schedule lists these sprint sessions (Shanghai time, same as Malaysia):

• Wednesday 14 October: team sprint qualifying from 11am; first round and finals from 6.30pm.
• Thursday 15 October: men's keirin (heats from 11am, final session from 5pm); women's sprint qualifying and early rounds.
• Friday 16 October: women's sprint semi-finals and finals from 5pm.
• Saturday 17 October: men's sprint qualifying from 11am; quarter-finals from 5.30pm.
• Sunday 18 October: men's sprint semi-finals from 11am and final from 1.30pm; women's keirin through to the final.

Session times can change, so check the official UCI schedule on the day.

Key takeaways

• The UCI Track World Championships run from 14 to 18 October in Shanghai, which shares Malaysia's time zone.
• Shah Firdaus Sahrom's team sprint role will be decided on race day by coach Harnizam Basri.
• Azizulhasni Awang, 38 and the 2017 world keirin champion, is expected to take Malaysia's individual men's spot after winning Asian Games keirin gold on 2 October.
• Izzah Izzati and Nur Alyssa are set to ride the women's sprint and keirin after Asian Games team sprint silver.

FAQ

When is the men's keirin at the 2026 Track World Championships? It is scheduled for Thursday 15 October in Shanghai, with the final session from 5pm Malaysia time.

Why might Shah Firdaus miss the individual events? Malaysia has only one men's place in the individual sprint events, and it is expected to go to Azizulhasni Awang.

Is Shanghai in the same time zone as Malaysia? Yes. Both are UTC+8, so the listed session times apply in Malaysia too.

Sources: New Straits Times, TrackPiste, Malay Mail, UCI