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Rizal to remain focused on training

Arnaz M. Khairul

HE'S at the centre of a dilemma, but these are issues Rizal Tisin wishes to evade and remain on track towards becoming the world's fastest man over one kilometre on a bike.

Talk of him being moved into the pursuit team has been rife since the 1km time trial was removed from the Guangzhou Asian Games programme next year, but the 25-year-old is standing firm.

"I really hope the MNCF (Malaysian National Cycling Federation) will fight to get the event reinstated and I hope they do get it reinstated," said Rizal.

But Rizal, albeit distraught and overwhelmed by emotion at the time the Guangzhou Asian Games organising committee announced the decision and when they rejected a preliminary appeal by Malaysia, is not going anywhere for the moment.

Rizal won the country’s first ever World Championships medal in Pruskow, Poland in April, a bronze in the 1km time trial.
Rizal won the country’s first ever World Championships medal in Pruskow, Poland in April, a bronze in the 1km time trial.


"The 1km time trial is still the centre of my focus. It is still in the World Championships and in the Commonwealth Games, which is another big target for me next year," said Rizal.

"I want so much for it to be in the Asian Games because I want to end our country's wait for a cycling gold medal there. And we've never had a medal on the track at the Commonwealth Games."

Malaysia's last Asian Games gold medals in cycling came through Daud Ibrahim and Ng Joo Ngan in the 1970 Games in Bangkok.

The country's only ever cycling medal in the Commonwealth Games was a silver through Nor Effandy Rosli in the road race in the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur.

"This is why I don't want to say I'm moving to other events. There's still a lot to achieve in the 1km time trial. We don't know how it will be in the Commonwealth Games if (Britain's) Chris Hoy is there, but I think I have a chance for even a gold medal there," said Rizal.

Rizal won the country's first ever World Championships medal in Pruskow, Poland in April, a bronze in the 1km time trial, clocking an Asian record of 1:01.658s in the process.

"My first target is to qualify for next year's World Championships. I start my World Cup campaign in Cali, Colombia in December and will move on from there. I'll return to the Melbourne training camp after Hari Raya," said Rizal.

Head coach John Beasley has also enough confidence in Rizal's ability to moot a possible attempt at altitude for a crack at Arnaud Tournant's world record of 58.875s, set in La Paz, Bolivia in 2001.

The MNCF has, according to track committee chairman Datuk Naim Mohamad, proceeded with a second string of appeals, submitted to the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) and International Cycling Union (UCI).


As yet, the Guangzhou Asian Games organising committee remains adamant at excluding the 1km time trial, but has included the women's 500m time trial. Both are not Olympic events.

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