Zhiwei relishes 'valuable experience' after masterclass from Azizulhasni

NAGOYA: China's Li Zhiwei has expressed admiration for Azizulhasni Awang after losing to the latter in the men's keirin final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday.

Zhiwei, who won the team sprint gold earlier this week, was pipped to the line by Azizulhasni in a high-speed finish at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka.

Zhiwei, however, harboured no disappointment after sharing the podium with one of the sport's all-time greats.

"From the time I started cycling, he was already at his peak. Now he's already 38 and still here," said Zhiwei.

"He's a great role model for me, and this was a very valuable experience for me."

The final two laps proved to be a brutal test of endurance for all riders as the pace was pushed to the absolute limit.

Zhiwei admitted he had emptied his energy reserves completely in the final metres as he fought to hold off the charging Malaysian.

"I had nothing left in the tank towards the end. I told myself to hang on, just hang on," Zhiwei recalled.