Final day silver and bronze for Fatehah and Azizul in Japan

KUALA LUMPUR: National track cyclist Fatehah Mustapa put in a solid final day
performance at the Asian Track and Para Cycling Championship in Japan to clinch
silver in the women's keirin as Azizulhasni Awang bagged a second bronze
through the men's sprint today. Fatehah, who finished fifth in the sprint on
Thursday, came in second behind Hong Kong's Lee Wai Sze who clocked 11.311s
in the final while South Korea's Lee Hyejin finished third at the Izu Velodrome.
The 26-year-old, who struggled to make an impact in the World Cup series this
season, said she was grateful for the medal. She had been hampered by a lower
back injury late last year. "I truly am grateful to have been able to win this silver
medal today ," said Fatehah via Facebook. "I really want to thank my (national
track) coach John Beasley, teammates and family for all their help and also the
Sime Darby Foundation for their unwavering support over the last seven years".
Azizulhasni, who broke the national record during the sprint qualifying round
yesterday, inched a step closer to earning a berth at the Rio Olympics in the
discipline after beating Japan's Seiichiro Nakagawa (10.479s, 10.456s) in the
quarterfinals. Seiichiro is Azizulhasni's main rival for a spot at the Olympiad, but
the pair will have to wait until the World Championships in London next month to
determine who gets the slot. Only two places are available for Asia and China's
Xu Chao has already secured his place. The Terengganu-born rider, however, lost
to Korean Im Chaebin in the semi-finals as the latter clocked 10.363s and
10.364s in both heats but bounced back to beat China's Bao Saifei in the bronze
playoff. Saifei won the first heat 10.589s but Azizulhasni rebounded to win the
next two in 10.468s and 10.280s.