Malaysian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang is targeting Olympic gold after making an amazing return to the sport just seven months after undergoing open-heart surgery.
Awang, 34, competed in Sunday's Track Champions League meeting in Mallorca, and afterwards immediately outlined his intention to taste glory at Paris 2024. 'The Pocket Rocketman' already has silver and bronze to his name, having finished third in the keirin in Rio 2016.
Five years later, he took silver in Tokyo, finishing behind British icon Jason Kenny. And in a sporting gesture afterwards, he and fellow podium finisher held Kenny aloft in the Izu Velodrome.
And now, in an emotional interview with Eurosport, Awang explained how he felt his dream remained alive despite the harrowing circumstances surrounding his enforced break: "I won a bronze medal in Rio and then a silver medal in Tokyo," he recalled.
"My dream is to win the first gold medal for my country, Malaysia. We have never had anyone win a gold medal so far at the Olympic level, so my job is to keep training harder and pushing harder."
And he said his participation in Spain was very much geared towards the summer after next: "I have come to the TCL as part of my preparation for Paris, where hopefully I can win a gold medal for my country," added Awang.
He also spoke about discovering he needed life changing surgery, and his gratitude to those who operated on him: "There was something abnormal with my heart since I was born, and my doctor was surprised because I have been competing at the highest level, the elite level, for a long time with no issues," he explained.
"When I went for my scan, the surgeon asked me to do the surgery as soon as possible, so it was a big moment for me. I was so down at times, but I was so lucky because I had a good surgeon and a good team that helped me to go through that process."
Awang, who also won gold at the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, is currently based in Melbourne. He lives in Australia with his wife and two daughters.
