Azizulhasni Awang


Mohd Azizulhasni bin Awang is a Malaysian professional track cyclist. Nicknamed "The Pocket Rocketman" due to his small stature, he is the first Malaysian cyclist to win a medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships and at the Summer Olympics.
Azizulhasni was chosen as the flag bearer for Malaysia at the 2008 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations. He won his first World Championship medal in 2009, a silver in the individual sprint. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he won his first Olympic medal, a bronze in the individual keirin.
In 2017, he won his first World Championship title in the keirin, and became the first Malaysian to ever wear the coveted rainbow jersey.

Background

Azizulhasni was born in Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia. He is the eighth of nine children in his family. He received his primary education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Batu 48 and continued his secondary studies at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Omar in Dungun, before transferring to National Sport School in Bukit Jalil.
Azizul took up cycling aged 10, before the late Rozimi Omar discovered him, and convinced him that he had the talent to succeed. He was thankful to his late father for giving him a bicycle as a reward after he obtained 4A 1B in his UPSR. Azizul received three offers from MRSM, Science School, and the Bukit Jalil Sports School after his PMR. At that time he had an ambition to be either a physician or an athlete and ultimately chose the Sports School due to his interest in cycling.

Career

Azizulhasni's greatest achievement is winning the gold medal in 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil in keirin. Among his other achievements is winning the silver medal at the 2009 World Championships in the sprint category and the silver medal at the 2010 World Championships in the keirin category. He was named Malaysian Sportsman of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
In February 2011, Azizul was involved in a crash during the final of the keirin event in the World Cup leg in Manchester where he suffered serious injury when a 20 cm wooden splinter pierced through his leg. He was ruled out of the World Championships that year.
At 2017 Southeast Asian Games Azizul made it 111th for Malaysia as the country finally achieved its overall Sea Games medal target after he won in the men's sprint category at the National Velodrome in Nilai. Azizul also the flag-bearers for Malaysia at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games alongside two reigning world champions diver Cheong Jun Hoong and silat exponent Mohd Al-Jufferi Jamari.

Personal life

Azizul is studying sports science at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. In 2015, he became the first non-Australian athlete to receive a Blue Award from Victoria University.
Azizul married Athiah Ilyana Abd Samat on 30 January 2010. The couple live in Melbourne with their two daughters.

Achievements

; Track Cycling World Ranking
;World Championships
;Asian Games
;Commonwealth Games
;Olympic Games

Honours of Malaysia