Azizulhasni Edges Japan's Takahashi Twice to Reach Asian Games Sprint Semi-Finals
The Pocket Rocketman beat Kanata Takahashi by 0.049s and 0.039s at Izu this morning to reach the men's sprint semi-finals, which start at 2pm.
Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang is through to the men's sprint semi-finals at the 20th Asian Games. At Izu Velodrome this morning he beat Japan's Kanata Takahashi in two straight races.
Neither race was comfortable. Official results show Azizulhasni won the first by 0.049 seconds and the second by 0.039 seconds, so he did not need a deciding third race.
The road to the last four
Azizulhasni, nicknamed the Pocket Rocketman, has looked sharp all week in an event that is not his speciality.
- Qualifying: Third fastest in 9.467 seconds. His national record is 9.402s, set at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- First round: Beat India's David Beckham Elkatohchoongo.
- Second round: Beat Kazakhstan's Kirill Kurdidi.
- Quarter-final: Beat Japan's Kanata Takahashi 2-0.
Teammate Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom went out before the quarter-finals, which leaves Azizulhasni as Malaysia's only rider in the men's sprint.
Who else is through
The other three quarter-finals, according to the official results:
- Kaiya Ota (Japan) beat Kirill Kurdidi (Kazakhstan) 2-0
- Li Zhiwei (China) beat Kang Shih-feng (Chinese Taipei) 2-0
- Jai Angsuthasawit (Thailand) beat Xie Han (China) 2-1
That leaves Japan, China, Thailand and Malaysia in the semi-finals.
What's next (Malaysia time)
- Semi-finals: first race from 2pm, deciders if needed at about 2.45pm
- Finals: first race at about 3.33pm, deciders if needed at about 4.45pm
A place in this afternoon's final guarantees at least silver, and the beaten semi-finalists race for bronze.
Keirin on Friday
Azizulhasni is best known as a keirin rider. He is a former world champion in the event and won Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020 at this same velodrome in Izu. The men's keirin is on Friday. The first round starts at 9.30am Malaysia time and the final is scheduled for about 4pm.
A return few expected
Azizulhasni did not compete at Hangzhou 2022. As late as August his place in Japan was uncertain. "Azizulhasni has not given us a final answer," national head coach Harnizam Basri told theSun at the time. The rider, now 38, chose to race, and he is two rounds away from a medal in the sprint.
The bigger picture
Track cycling has already brought Malaysia two medals this week: a women's team sprint silver and a women's keirin bronze for Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri. Malaysia start today 11th on the official medal standings with six golds, five silvers and 12 bronzes. They need three more golds to equal the national record of nine from Guangzhou 2010.
Key takeaways
- Azizulhasni beat Japan's Kanata Takahashi 2-0 to reach the men's sprint semi-finals.
- Both races were close, decided by 0.049s and 0.039s.
- The semi-finals start at 2pm and the medal races at about 3.30pm, Malaysia time.
- The men's keirin, Azizulhasni's main event, is on Friday.
FAQ
Who is in the men's sprint semi-finals? Azizulhasni Awang (Malaysia), Kaiya Ota (Japan), Li Zhiwei (China) and Jai Angsuthasawit (Thailand).
Is Shah Firdaus still racing? Not in the sprint. He went out before the quarter-finals.
When is the men's keirin final? On Friday 2 October, scheduled for about 4pm Malaysia time.
Sources: Aichi-Nagoya 2026 official results, Bernama, The Star, Malay Mail, theSun