Japan, China still biggest keirin threats even without Ota, says coach
NAGOYA: Keirin specialists Azizulhasni Awang and Shah Firdaus Sahrom will still face tough opposition even if Japan’s star rider Kaiya Ota sits out the event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, says national head coach Harnizam Basri.
NAGOYA: Even without Japan's star cyclist Kaiya Ota, China and Japan remain formidable opponents in keirin cycling, according to national head coach Harnizam Basri. Ota, currently ranked world No. 4, is expected to be one of the main threats to Azizulhasni Awang (No. 13) and Shah Firdaus Sahrom (No. 67) in both keirin and individual sprint events.
The track cycling event is scheduled to take place from September 29 to October 2 at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka. Harnizam, however, acknowledged that they won't know the full extent of their competition until the start lists are released. He emphasized that China's Li Zhiwei (No. 15) and Xie Han (No. 20), as well as Thailand's Jai Angsuthasawit and Taiwan's Kang Shih-Feng, pose significant challenges.
The other two Japanese riders, Minato Nakaishi (No. 16) and Shinji Nakano (No. 25), are also highly skilled in the sport. Harnizam stressed that China is a difficult team to predict due to their extensive cycling program, and riders like Jai and Shih-Feng have a talent for finding advantageous positions in the race. Harnizam's coaching squad arrived in Japan from a Brisbane training camp two days ago and will commence training at the Izu Velodrome on Sunday.
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