KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) vice-president, Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill, said that a tyre malfunction caused Datuk Azizulhasni Awang’s high-speed crash on Saturday.
The national cyclist had posted a tweet with a video attached, showing his involvement in a high-speed crash during training at the National Velodrome in Nilai.
In the video, Azizulhasni can be seen crashing while going around the first corner of the velodrome.
“A tyre malfunction caused the crash when he was taking the first corner behind the motorbike. I believe he was going at least 80km/h.
“Fortunately, he did not suffer any serious injuries other than some road rash on his hands and leg,” said Amarjit after a ceremony to announce Tourism Malaysia as a main sponsor of Le Tour de Langkawi.
He also mentioned that after receiving treatment from the National Sports Institute (NSI), Azizulhasni had returned to the velodrome yesterday.
“Head coach John Beasley confirmed Azizulhasni’s injuries, and after receiving treatment from NSI, I was informed that he had returned to the velodrome for some warm-up exercises yesterday.
“I was a bit concerned when I received the news of his accident, especially with the Asian Games around the corner. But after talking to the coach, I knew that his injury is not serious, and he is slowly going back to the velodrome to resume his training.
“This is a good sign,” said the management committee member of the International Cycling Union.
When asked if it is safe for the two-time Olympic medallist to go back to training so soon after the crash, Amarjit said that Azizulhasni would have received proper advice on the best course of action.
“I believe that the decision to allow Azizulhasni to go back to training has been made by his coach, the doctor and the rider himself.
“They know what the right thing to do is, so we believe that the decision for him to go back to training is based on medical advice given by all parties,” said Amarjit. – September 18, 2023