And all the attention on the 34-year-old in his first major competition since the 2008 Beijing Olympics suits Malaysia’s track sensation Azizul Hasni Awang just fine.
The 22-year-old Azizul and seasoned campaigner Josiah Ng are the two Malaysian cyclists in the championships as coach John Beasley had opted to field only medal contenders.
Hoy, who was sidelined due to a hip injury which kept him out of the championships in Poland last year, fronts a strong British squad, looking to make a roaring start in the team sprint today.
Azizul will get into action with Josiah in the keirin tomorrow where he will wear the traditional white leader’s jersey for his status as the World Cup series overall winner.
The Terengganu-born Azizul is cool about his prospects.
“I’m not feeling the pressure so much and I think it’s due to Hoy’s presence. He is the man everyone wants to beat,” he said.
“I may be the wearing the white jersey for the second time but Hoy is still seen as the firm favourite even though he had only raced a few times since returning to competitions late last year.
“I did not do well last year as I was marked down a lot but, hopefully, I come out better if the opportunity comes again.”
Last year, Azizul agonisingly missed out on making the keirin final by a whisker after finishing fourth in the second round heat.
But he showed strong character to bounce back by taking a historic silver medal in the 200m sprint three days later, the best showing by a Malaysian cyclist in the world championship series thus far.
Azizul believes that he has the better chance this time to bag a medal in the keirin.
“The keirin is my stronger event but that does not mean I will take it easy in the 200m sprint. I hope to initially make it through the quarter-finals for the 200m sprint and take it from there,” he said.
Azizul and Josiah have been enjoying the cool weather in Copenhagen since last Friday and they have had three training sessions at the Ballerup Super Arena.
Team manager Datuk Naim Mohamad said that the earlier departure from their training base in Melbourne was to give the riders time to settle down.
“They have adjusted to the conditions and will be looking to start their campaign,” he said.
Star
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