Skip to main content

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rajagobal Let Off The Hook

PETALING JAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal was let off the hook by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) Disciplinary Committee after finding no evidence that he had violated FAM's Article 88, as claimed. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had decided not to charge Rajagobal after carefully analysing the video of the post-match press conference by the 56-year-old coach. "After listening to the recording of the post-match press conference, we decided to drop the charge against Rajagopal as he did not make such a statement. "Maybe his (Rajagobal) assessment and comments of the match was misconstrued by the media. There was no mention of the FAM policy throughout his comments," said Taufik after emerging from a three-hour Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, here, Wednesday. Rajagobal who does not mince his words when asked to com...
4 comments
Read more

Atlet Tempuhi Empat Kejohanan Besar Sebelum Olimpik Rio 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Mei (Bernama) -- Empat temasya sukan penting yang dijadual berlangsung mulai Disember ini hingga 2015 menjadi medan persiapan atlet negara sebelum menghadapi cabaran Sukan Olimpik 2016 di Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, kata Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Khairy Jamaluddin Jumaati. Kejohanan berkenaan ialah Sukan SEA di Myanmar pada Disember, Sukan Asia 2014 di Incheon, Korea Selatan, Sukan Komanwel 2014 di Glasgow, Scotland dan Sukan SEA 2015 di Singapura. Bercakap kepada pemberita selepas melawat Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) di Bukit Jalil di sini, Khairy berkata kesemua temasya sukan itu dilihat amat penting dalam memastikan impian negara untuk membawa pulang pingat emas Olimpik pertama menjadi kenyataan. "Kita di Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) mahupun MSN akan memastikan semua atlet mendapat bantuan sewajarnya dalam melakukan persiapan ke arah membawa pulang pingat emas pertama negara di Rio de Janeiro, Brazil nanti," katanya. Dalam perkemb...
6 comments
Read more

Uber Cub: Malaysian squad Can Spring A Surprise - Ahmad Shabery

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek remains confident that the national Uber Cup squad can spring a surprise when Malaysia hosts the Thomas and Uber Cup finals at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16. He said despite not being the favourite, the women's team was able to surprise everyone by winning the gold medal at the Laos SEA Games. "I am confident they (Uber Cup team) will be able to produce a similar surprise. Not only are they capable of reaching the semi-final, they can go further," he told reporters after having lunch with national shuttlers here Thursday. National badminton Team manager Datuk Syed Abu Bakar Abdullah who echoed the minister's confidence said: "In Laos, nobody expected the women's team to win the world, so why not the Uber Cup? All they need to do is try their very best." Women's team captain Wong Pei Tty said she and her team-mates have set a target of r...
1 comment
Read more