Azizulhasni loses Shanghai Track Worlds sprint last-16 to Ledingham-Horn by 0.021s, ends without a medal

Azizulhasni Awang has finished the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai without a medal. On Saturday, 17 October, the Malaysian lost his men's sprint round-of-16 heat to Britain's Harry Ledingham-Horn by just 0.021 seconds, which ended his bid for the quarter-finals. Two days earlier he had gone out in the keirin quarter-finals. The 38-year-old came to Shanghai as the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games keirin champion and was one of the strongest Malaysian medal hopes at the championships.

A strong qualifying ride

Azizulhasni's sprint day at the Shanghai Velodrome began well. He set 9.564 seconds in the flying 200m qualifying, eighth fastest in the field, which gave him a decent seeding for the match-sprint rounds. In the first knockout round he beat Colombia's Cristian David Ortega Fontalvo and moved into the last 16.

He then met Ledingham-Horn, and Bernama, RTM and TV Sarawak all report that the Briton won by 0.021 seconds. In a one-on-one sprint heat that is a margin of a few centimetres on the line, and it meant Azizulhasni missed out on the evening quarter-finals.

Keirin exit earlier in the week

The sprint was Azizulhasni's last chance of a medal after the keirin on Thursday, 15 October. He finished second in his first-round heat behind Japan's Kaiya Ota, the Asian Games sprint champion, and went through to the quarter-finals. Only the top four from each of the three quarter-final heats went on to the semi-finals, and Azizulhasni finished last in Heat 3, so his keirin campaign ended there.

Even though Shanghai did not bring a medal, his 2026 season has included major wins at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Women's keirin riders up next

Malaysia's final medal chances in Shanghai are in the women's keirin on Sunday, 18 October, the last day of the championships. Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Nur Alysaa Mohd Farid are the two Malaysian riders entered. Under the official timetable, the first round and repechages are in the morning session from 11am. The second round, third round and final are in the afternoon session from 1.30pm. Shanghai is on the same time as Malaysia.

The men's sprint semi-finals and final, and the men's madison, are also on the final-day programme, so the championships will be finished by Sunday evening.

What it means for the sprint squad

Malaysia's sprint group came to Shanghai with its line-up still being decided. Before the championships, coaches said Shah Firdaus Sahrom's role in the team sprint had not been settled. Shanghai showed how small the margins are at the top of world sprinting. After a year of Asian and Commonwealth success, Azizulhasni lost his sprint heat by two hundredths of a second. The national programme now turns its attention to the 2027 season and the build-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Key takeaways

• Azizulhasni Awang lost his men's sprint round-of-16 heat to Britain's Harry Ledingham-Horn by 0.021 seconds on 17 October.
• He qualified eighth in 9.564 seconds and beat Colombia's Cristian David Ortega Fontalvo in the first round.
• He had gone out in the keirin quarter-finals on Thursday, 15 October.
• Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Nur Alysaa Mohd Farid ride in the women's keirin on 18 October, the final day.

FAQ

Who knocked Azizulhasni out of the sprint at the 2026 Track Worlds? Britain's Harry Ledingham-Horn beat him by 0.021 seconds in the round of 16 on Saturday, 17 October.

What was Azizulhasni's qualifying time in Shanghai? He set 9.564 seconds in the flying 200m, eighth fastest in qualifying.

Which Malaysians are still competing at the Track Worlds? Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Nur Alysaa Mohd Farid race in the women's keirin on Sunday, 18 October. The rounds start at 11am and the final is in the afternoon session (Malaysia time).

Sources: Bernama, The Star, RTM, TV Sarawak, The Sun, UCI