Latest news with #Harnizam
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Aliana back on track after injury woes
KUALA LUMPUR: National track rider Aliana Azizan, who suffered multiple injuries in a crash last year, is expected to make a full comeback at the international level next season. National track cycling team head coach Harnizam Basri said he was pleased with both Aliana's performances as well as her confidence on the bike at the recent National Championships in Johor. It was her first race since suffering a fractured rib and a concussion in a local race in October last year. "She only trained for a month before the National Championships so to achieve what she did was quite impressive," said Harnizam recently. "Before that (one month period) she did not train on the bike. She would feel dizzy (due to effects of concussion) after doing gym work so we did not want to risk her losing her balance on the bike and crashing. "She has, however, improved a lot now and looks confident on the bike. "She is determined to regain her spot in the women's team sprint squad. We gave her spot to another rider when she was recovering. "Our goal is to prepare her for what will be a busy season next year. We will, however, be careful to monitor her condition to make sure she does not get injured. "We are hoping to see her race in the UCI Nations Cup as well as the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year." Aliana, who turns 22 next month, finished third in the women's individual sprint behind Izzah (gold) and Yong Ann Tung (silver) as well as silver in the 1 kilometre time trial behind Izzah at the National Championships in Johor. Harnizam disclosed that Aliana has been working hard to improve her strength and has increased from 54 kilogrammes to 60kg which is a positive sign.
New Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Emerging talents show promise at track cycling national meet
KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling team head coach Harnizam Basri was pleased to see a number of young talents showing glimpses of their potential at the National Championships which ended in Johor yesterday (May 24). Harnizam listed boys' under-17 rider Irshad Farhan, who secured a prestigious double gold for Johor in the individual sprint and keirin, as well as Sarawak's Adib Adnan, who reached the men's elite keirin final, as among those to look out for. "Irshad was really impressive in the under-17 category and dominated his categories," said Harnizam when contacted today (May 25). "At the moment he is still training with his state team but we will be looking to bring him into the national backup squad when possible. He definitely has potential that can be further developed. "Adib, who was recently promoted to the national backup squad, showed he has potential but is lacking race experience. "This showed in the keirin final where he made the mistake of overtaking on the blue band. The more races he gets the better he will become." Adib, who joined the national backup squad this year, was relegated to last place from seven riders in the men's elite keirin final. Harnizam said there were no surprises among the elite senior riders as Izzah Izzati Asri (Kedah) and Ridwan Sahrom (Johor) dominated the team sprint, individual sprint and keirin events for their respective states. He was, however, pleased to see Aliana Azizan make a positive comeback in what was her first race since crashing during a local race in October last year which saw her suffering a fractured rib and concussion. "Izzah and Ridwan both lived up to expectations by winning all their main events," said Harnizam. "Their timings', however, were slightly off their personal bests. This was expected as all the elite riders have been going through a heavy hypertrophy phase in training recently and did not taper for this competition. "I was also pleased to see Aliana looking very comfortable on the bike here. She only started training seriously a month ago but has already been able to achieve some decent results." Aliana finished third in the women's individual sprint behind Izzah (gold) and Yong Ann Tung (silver) as well as silver in the 1 kilometre time trial behind Izzah. Ridwan's elder brother Shah Firdaus and Azizulhasni Awang did not compete at the National Championships in Johor. Shah is taking a cautious approach after undergoing rehabilitation due to tendonitis in his right knee while Azizulhasni is still on the comeback trail having not competed since last year's Paris Olympics. Riders from the national elite squad are expected to leave for a month-long training-cum-competition stint in Europe tomorrow (May 26). This is to prepare them for the World Championships in Santiago, Chile (Oct 22-26).
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Shah, Azizulhasni to sit out national championships
KUALA LUMPUR: The big boys will be out of the picture but plenty of action is expected when the National Track Cycling Championships kicks off at the Johor Velodrome in Iskandar Puteri tomorrow (May 21). National track cycling team head coach Harnizam Basri confirmed that both Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Azizulhasni Awang will not be competing in the meet. Shah has been troubled by knee tendonitis since February while Azizulhasni is still on the comeback trail as he has not raced since the Paris Olympics last year. "Shah is still undergoing rehabilitation for his knee but has started riding again - though not at full pace - for the past two weeks," said Harnizam when contacted in Johor today. "He did plan to race in just the keirin here, however, there is a rule where only two riders can represent each state in the elite events here. "Shah's younger brother Ridwan and Akmal Nazimi Jusena will ride for Johor in the keirin, but Shah will still be at the races to give his support to all the riders. "Datuk Azizulhasni will also not be racing here." Harnizam said he does not expect national elite squad riders to be at their very best for the event as they have been undergoing a heavy strength training block and have not tapered for the event. He is, however, keen to see riders from the state teams in action. Johor and Terengganu are expected to continue their rivalry at the meet while Kedah are expected to shine in the women's events. "Riders from the state teams always bring their best at the national championships and it will be no different this year," said Harnizam. "We (coaches) are always on the lookout for new talent at the national championships and we are expecting to see some exciting young riders to shine this year. "I believe it will be 50-50 between Johor and Terengganu for the overall title. "Johor has strong sprinters while Terengganu has strong endurance riders." Johor and Terengganu, who both have their own state velodromes, have among the strongest track cycling programmes in the country.
New Straits Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Coach hopes to see bigger, stronger Izzah compete at World Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: National track cycling squad head coach Harnizam Basri is hoping to further strengthen rider Izzah Izzati Asri ahead of the World Championships in Santiago, Chile on Oct 22-26. Harnizam said Izzah's physique has vastly improved since she joined the national elite squad in early 2022 but made it clear there is still room for improvement. Maximising power-to-weight ratio is key for any track rider and is especially important for smaller riders such as Izzah, who stands at a diminutive 1.52 metres tall. "Izzah has gained a lot of muscle mass since she joined us a few years ago," said Harnizam recently. "When she started she was about 48 kilogrammes but now she has gone up to 52kg. "The goal is to get her to about 55kg by the World Championships, which I believe is an achievable goal. "We will, however, have to be careful when doing hypertrophy work with Izzah as her programme has been packed since last year and we do not want to risk any injuries." Izzah has been Malaysia's most outstanding female track rider in recent seasons. She won two gold, one silver and one bronze at the Asian Championships in February. Harnizam stressed that building muscle takes time and strength building programmes must be done in a way which develops the whole body. "I think in the past we focused too much on strengthening the lower body and rarely touched the upper body," said Harnizam. "This is because we did not want the upper body to become too bulky which would cause increased frontal (aerodynamic) drag. "But I believe the body needs to be balanced because we use the whole body when racing. So we will be doing upper body strength training as well to a certain extent. "Anyway, doing some strength work on the upper body will not cause you to become bulky up top overnight. It takes a long time to build mass." Harnizam added that the National Sports Institute provides the team with a strength and conditioning coach to oversee their gym programme. Izzah is expected to leave for a training-cum-competition stint in Germany at the end of June.
