KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- How far will national track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri go in her maiden Olympic Games in Paris 2024, later this month?
With less than two weeks remaining until the Games commence on July 26, national track cycling team head coach John Beasley admitted that much work still needs to be done to prepare Nurul Izzah to compete against the world’s best.
In addition to boosting her speed and power, Beasley stressed the importance of rigorous video analysis to refine Nurul Izzah's tactical edge on the track.
“Nurul Izzah’s preparation is going well as expected. Improving tactical decision-making will take more time than we have before Paris, but she will be a lot more prepared to deal with tactical situations as they arise.
“We are also working on Nurul Izzah's cornering every session to see how we can improve. Technically she still has many areas where she can gain more speed,” he told Bernama.
Though expectations for Nurul Izzah are modest, Beasley is optimistic that competing in Paris will serve 'The Pocket Rocketwoman' well and boost her confidence for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
At just 20 years old, the Australian coach acknowledged that the Kedahan's journey in track cycling is still nascent, having joined the programme only two years ago with around 20 races under her belt.
“Nurul Izzah has raced very little at an international level. It takes about 50 races before you start to understand what you are doing and where you should be at any particular time in the race.
“Then, you really start understanding your strengths and weaknesses and how you can utilise your strengths against your opponents,” he said.
Nurul Izzah will accompany national track cycling ace Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom for Paris 2024.
The national track cycling team is currently undergoing a final lap of preparation in Mallorca before they fly to Paris on Aug 1.
The track cycling events will take place from Aug 5-11 at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome.
The 2024 Olympic Games will run until Aug 11.
-- BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
