Options aplenty for Azizulhasni if he decides to retire
KUALA LUMPUR: Former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang has no shortage of career options to choose from should he decide to retire from competitive cycling in the future.
Azizulhasni had hinted at retirement after suffering a disappointing outing at the Paris Olympics last year, though last month announced that he will continue racing until next year's Nagoya Asian Games at the very least, albeit as an independent rider.
"Actually after the Paris Olympics there were a lot of ideas to get me involved in sports management, business and so on," said Azizulhasni recently.
"There was also an option to work with some of the sponsors and contribute back to (Malaysian) sports.
"This is one of the reasons it took me a long time to come to a decision (on whether to retire or continue racing).
"I also have plans to start my own academy in the future.
"But it will have to wait as I feel that it (racing career) is not over yet. I have to complete this (chapter) first before I can be happy and focus on my career progress (outside of racing)."
The Paris Olympics was originally expected to be Azizulhasni's swansong though it did not go to plan as he was disqualified from the men's keirin event after overtaking the derny in the opening round.
Though he has committed to racing until next year, Azizulhasni is not sure whether he will stay on until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA2028) when he will be 40.
"A lot of people are hoping I will stay on until LA2028 but to be honest, I am not thinking about that just yet," he added.
"I just want to focus on the next two years, take things one step at a time and try to contribute (back to Malaysian cycling) as much as I can."
The two-time Olympic keirin medallist is no stranger to making comebacks.
He underwent open heart surgery in 2022 to correct a coronary artery anomaly he had suffered from since birth.
Azizulhasni came back stronger than ever, winning two gold medals at the Asian Championships in Nilai in 2023 and broke the national 200m record a number of times in the lead up to the Paris Games.
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