3 Olympic Events Where Malaysia Still Got Chance To Bring Home Medals
Tomorrow, 4 August, will see our track cycling athletes take to the stage and the former national diving duo take individual paths.
By Ahmad Hamizan @ Mike Miz — 03 Aug 2021, 03:23 PM
As the Tokyo 2020 Olympics reaches its final days, a total of five Malaysian athletes are still in action
The two divers left in competition are billed as medal hopefuls, as well as the two track cyclists yet to begin their Olympic campaigns.
Here are all the stories in turn:
1. Pandelela Rinong & Cheong Jun Hoong (women's individual 10m platform diving)
Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela Rinong after winning silver together in the women's synchronised 10m platform diving at Rio 2016.
Image via AFP/Astro AwaniAfter missing out on a synchronised 10m platform title, national diver Pandelela Rinong will take part in the individual event tomorrow.
She will be joined by her former partner Cheong, with whom she had paired up with at Rio 2016.Pandelela had placed eighth at the final of the synchronised 10m platform with veteran diver Leong Mun Yee last week.
The preliminary round of the women's 10m platform event will begin tomorrow, 4 August. The top 18 divers will progress to the semi-finals on the next day, followed by the final shortly after.
2. Azizulhasni Awang & Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom (men's sprint & men's keirin track cycling)
National track cycling icon Azizulhasni Awang and rising star Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom will kick off their Olympic campaigns with the men's sprint event.
After becoming the first Southeast Asian to win a medal for track cycling – bronze in the men's keirin at the previous Rio 2016 Olympics – Azizulhasni is expected to shine this year.
He improved from his sixth place finish in that particular event at London 2012 to clinch a podium place in Rio, and is eyeing the gold this time around, he revealed to Kyodo News.
Azizulhasni (left) with Shah Firdaus (middle)
Image via Institut Sukan Negara Malaysia (Facebook)/Sinar Harian
His younger compatriot Shah Firdaus, however, is no slouch.
Since breaking into the scene in 2017, he has made massive strides to match Azizulhasni's prowess on the track. In fact, Shah Firdaus surpassed his senior at the recent 2021 Australian National Track Championship, taking the men's keirin gold.
The two athletes will begin their Tokyo 2020 campaigns in the men's sprint event tomorrow in the preliminaries at 2.30pm Malaysian time.
Once the sprint event is over on 6 August, their signature event – the men's keirin – will begin the following day. The first round is scheduled to begin at 2.48pm Malaysian time this Saturday, 7 August.
3. Kelly Tan (women's golf)
Tan will tee off tomorrow 4 August at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama.
She had earned her place at Tokyo 2020 after ranking 42nd in the world when the qualifying period ended.
However, Malaysia's first LPGA golfer is set to face a tough task of finishing near the leading pack, as many elite golfers are present in competition.
