Flawless Rizal ends cycling wait

Mohd Rizal Tisin.

CYCLING finally ended its drought when Mohd Rizal Tisin won gold in the men's 1km time trial at His Majesty The King's 80th Anniversary Velodrome yesterday.

There was more good news when Azizulhasni Mohd Awang finished second in 1:06.645s. Third was Morales Jan Paul of the Philippines who clocked 1:07.244s. Rizal won in 1:05.980s.

Rizal put in a flawless performance despite arriving in Korat only on the eve of his race.

However, he was not happy with his timing.

"I just returned from Beijing after a competition. I am still tired. I only had about four hours sleep." Rizal was in Beijing for Round Two of the World Cup.
Furthermore, he added, the track was not up to standard and the wind condition was bad.

"Those who have trained on this track would have had an advantage," he added.

"I have clocked 1:03.200s before but here I was timed at 1:05.980s. I should have done better."

Meanwhile, Azizul said he was recovering from a bout of flu. "I am still coughing but I managed to finish second."

Yesterday's gold and silver made up for the disappointment of Europe-based cyclists Ng Yong Li and Muhammad Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi who failed in the men's 42km individual time trial.

NST