KUALA LUMPUR: National cyclist Fatehah Mustapha must now aim to qualify for the next Olympics in Rio and make good of her failure in the London edition.
Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad said the experience in London was an expensive and painful lesson for the 23-year old, and it would certainly be very valuable for her future endeavours.
“We commended her for being the first Malaysian women cyclist to qualify for the Olympics and maybe we expect a bit too much from her first exposure,” he said in an email to the media yesterday.
Fatehah failed to be among the top three riders in the Women’s Keirin first round repechage event of the London Olympics yesterday when she finished fifth out of six riders who competed in Heat 2.
Great Britain’s Victoria Pendleton won the gold medal in the event while Guo Shang of China and Lee Wai Sze of Hong Kong took silver and bronze respectively.
According to Naim, Fatehah, who had beaten Pendleton, Guo and Lee during World Cup rounds previously, was not in her element during the competition.
“She was nervous and she was not focused on the job at hand. She hesitated and was overwhelmed by the whole situation,” he said.
Naim also said that the Terengganu-born rider deserved all the support and assistance in her stride to glorify the country’s women cyclist at the prestigious games.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s challenge in the Olympics’ track cycling event would continue when cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang gets into the thick of action. Nicknamed as the ‘Pocketrocketman’, Mohd Azizulhasni will compete in the men’s sprint event on Sunday and men’s Keirin on Aug 7. — Bernama