{
  "id": 10834304,
  "title": "Azizulhasni nears national record in qualifying, draws Beckham in first round",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/azizulhasni-nears-national-record-in-qualifying-draws-beckham-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T02:17:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/cycling/2026/09/1544370/azizulhasni-nears-national-record-qualifying-draws-beckham-first"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NAGOYA - Former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang secured third-fastest time in the men's individual sprint qualifying round at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Azizulhasni, known as \"The Pocket Rocketman,\" clocked 9.467 seconds, just under a tenth of a second from his national record of 9.402 seconds set during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Japan's Kaiya Ota, the favorite for the event, topped the morning timesheets with a time of 9.400 seconds, which is very close to his Asian record of 9.348 seconds, set at Tagaytay ACC 2026. China's Li Zhiwei finished second with a time of 9.444 seconds.\n\nAzizulhasni's teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom qualified ninth with a time of 9.850 seconds, which is in line with expectations. The 31-year-old, who is still dealing with scar tissue on his right knee from an operation last year, will face India's David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, who qualified 14th with a time of 9.996 seconds. Shah Firdaus will have a challenging match against Taiwan's Kang Shih-Feng, who was the eighth-fastest qualifier with a time of 9.810 seconds. Izzah Izzati Asri and Nur Alyssa Farid will also compete in the women's keirin on Wednesday.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA: Former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang was third-fastest in the men’s individual sprint qualifying round at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday.",
  "key_points": [
    "Azizulhasni Awang set third-fastest time in men's individual sprint qualifying.",
    "Kaiya Ota, Japan's favorite, topped timesheets with 9.400 seconds.",
    "Azizulhasni faces David Beckham in first round."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}