Pocket Rocketman charges into Asian Games sprint last eight

NAGOYA: Track cycling prodigy Azizulhasni Awang has advanced to the quarter-finals of the men's individual sprint at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, leaving behind India's David Beckham Elkatohchoongo in the first round and Kazakhstan's Kirill Kurdidi in the second round at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka. The 27-year-old, dubbed the "Pocket Rocketman," secured his place in the advanced heat by defeating his opponents with ease.

Next up, Azizulhasni will face Japan's Kanata Takahashi in a bid to secure a spot in the semi-finals on Thursday. The cyclist had qualified third overall with a time of 9.467 seconds, just under a tenth of a second short of his national record set at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who initially placed ninth on 9.850s, lost in the first round to Taiwan's Kang Shih-feng but bounced back by defeating Thailand's Norasetthada Bunma in the first-round repechage.

However, Shah received a warning for not maintaining his line and subsequently lost to China's Xie Han in the second round. Shah finished the tournament in third place behind Kang and Hong Kong's To Cheuk Hei in their repechage group.