Shah 'owns' Asiad results, legs lack punch

NAGOYA: National track rider Shah Firdaus Sahrom admitted that he has yet to regain the pace he needs to be competitive at the highest level after undergoing knee surgery late last year.

The 31-year-old finished fifth in the men's keirin at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and did not make it past the second round repechage in the men's individual sprint.

The Muar-born rider clocked 9.850s in the individual sprint qualifying round, which was some way off his 9.481s personal best.

Shah said he is determined to keep improving.

"The form was there, it was just that the legs did not have enough to give that extra push when it mattered," he said on social media.

"No excuses though. I own the result and I will learn from it and keep moving forward.

"The road has been bumpy but I am willing to take it. Whatever comes next I will be ready, one step at a time. Keep building, keep fighting, keep moving forward.

"Thank you to my coaches, team staff as well as NSI, RTG and NSC. Thank you for the hard work, sacrifice and support to get me back racing at this level, especially when we were battling with time."

National team head coach Harnizam Basri recently disclosed that Shah is still hampered by scar tissue on his right knee following the operation.

Shah and the rest of the national elite squad will next compete at the Shanghai World Championships on Oct 14-18.

The competition marks the start of the Olympic qualifying window for Los Angeles 2028.