Malaysian track cycling icon Datuk Azizulhasni Awang continued his blistering form at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka, capturing his second consecutive bronze medal at the 2026 Japan Track Cup 2 today.

The 38-year-old veteran, widely known as “The Pocket Rocketman,” secured a third-place finish in the Men’s Individual Sprint event. Azizulhasni showcased his tactical brilliance by dominating Australia’s Tayte Ryan with a convincing 2-0 victory in the bronze-medal decider.

The achievement comes exactly 24 hours after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist secured a bronze in the Men’s Keirin during yesterday’s Japan Track Cup 1, underlining his phenomenal consistency on the international stage.

Azizulhasni’s quest for the sprint gold was halted in the semifinals, where he crossed paths with home favorite and reigning Asian Games champion Kaiya Ota. The Japanese powerhouse took a comfortable 2-0 victory to advance to the finals.

Ota ultimately claimed the gold medal after sweeping his compatriot, Shinji Nakano, 2-0 in an all-Japanese final showdown. Nakano had earlier booked his final ticket by sweeping Australia’s Ryan with a matching 2-0 scoreline.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Keirin silver medalist from yesterday, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, endured a tougher outing in the sprint discipline. Shah Firdaus’ campaign came to an early end prior to the quarterfinals, losing his knockout heat to the eventual silver medalist, Nakano.

In the women’s individual sprint category, the Malaysian contingent found the elite field tough to crack. Rising stars Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Nur Alyssa Farid both bowed out in the opening knockout rounds.

Nurul Izzah was eliminated by China’s formidable Wang Lijuan, while Nur Alyssa fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to the blistering pace of Japan’s Haruka Nakazawa.

Despite the intense physical toll of back-to-back racing days, the campaign in Shizuoka is not yet over for Malaysia’s top male riders. Both Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus are scheduled to return to the wooden tracks of the Izu Velodrome tomorrow for the final day of the weekend event.

The duo will line up together in the Men’s Keirin event for Japan Track Cup 2, where they will look to maximize vital UCI ranking points and add to Malaysia’s growing medal tally before heading home.