Izzah keen for more progress after clinching coveted keirin medal

NAGOYA: Malaysia's national rider Izzah Izzati Asri celebrated a significant achievement after securing a bronze medal in women's keirin at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Competing against top athletes, Izzah astutely maneuvered to the final lap, claiming third place as Yuan Liying and Wang Lijuan of China took the top spots. This marked Izzah's second medal of the Games, following her women's team sprint silver win on Tuesday alongside Aliana Azizan, Nur Alyssa Farid, and Anis Amira Rosidi.

The 23-year-old expressed her appreciation for the podium finish, stating that competing against the world's best athletes for a title is incredibly meaningful. Izzah emphasized her desire to improve further, particularly in terms of power, noting that it was her first individual medal at the Asian Games and that she was proud of her accomplishment.

Prior to this, Malaysian rider Fatehah Mustapa was the sole Malaysian to win a women's keirin medal at the Asian Games during the 2014 Incheon edition. Alyssa Farid had earlier won her semi-final and outperformed both Liying and Chen Ching-Yun of Taiwan, while Izzah placed second in her semi-final group behind Wang Lijuan and Japan's Haruka Nakazawa.

Alyssa had also triumphed in her first-round heat, whereas Izzah secured the second spot in her group. In the men's individual sprint event, Azizulhasni Awang advanced to the quarter-finals, whereas teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom did not progress after finishing third in his repechage group. Azizulhasni will face Japan's Kanata Takahashi in the quarter-finals, while Izzah and Alyssa will compete in the women's individual sprint on Thursday.