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Rizal to resume training under Beasley after Hari Raya


PETALING JAYA: Track cyclist Rizal Tisin is not pinning much hope on the 1km time trial event getting reinstated in the Guangzhou Asian Games next year but he will nevertheless return to his training base in Melbourne to pursue new targets.

After taking it easy since his world championship bronze medal-winning effort in March, Rizal will resume training under coach John Beasley after Hari Raya next month.

Beasley has much to work on to get Rizal back in top form and the Australian has decided that his charge will not compete in the first two legs of the Track World Cup in Manchester (October) and Melbourne (November).

Rizal wil get back into action in the last two legs in Cali (December) and Beijing (January). And the 25-year-old hopes that by then, he will be back in top speed.

“I hope to break my Asian record time (1:01.658) in Cali but my initial aim is to qualify for the world championships,” he said.

“It’s a big disappointment not to have the chance to do the 1km time trial at the Asian Games as I was really looking forward to making an attempt to win gold for Malaysia. It has been a long time since we last won gold at the Asiad.

“But there is still the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi to look forward to. We have never won a track cycling medal in the Commonwealth Games. That is something to aim for and I will try to get the gold.”

Rizal missed out on automatic qualification for the world championships in Copenhagen in March next year after he was beaten to the gold medal by China’s Han Tao at the recent Asian championships in Kalimantan.

He clocked 1:05759 to take silver behind the Chinese, who posted a winning time of 1:04.910.

Rizal was the anchor rider of the first Malaysian trio, comprising Azizul Hasni Awang and Mohd Edrus Yunos, to secure the Asian championships team sprint gold medal.

Rizal acknowledged that the defeat in the individual event was a wake-up call for him.

“Beasley was right in saying that I lost my Asian title because of lack of training. But he was surprised that despite my condition, I still managed to get the silver,” he said.

“For China, isn’t it more reason for them to include the 1km time trial in the Asiad now that as they have an Asian champion.” THE STAR

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