KUALA LUMPUR – National track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri is poised to ride the same model of bicycle used by world champions Datuk Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom – the WXR-Vorteq – ahead of the Paris Olympic Games in July.
National Sports Institute chief executive officer, Ahmad Faedzal Ramli, confirmed this, stating that all bicycles would be upgraded, compared to the versions used during the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The new versions of WXR-Vorteq bicycles, made with a mix of titanium and carbon fibre, are touted to be the lightest, stiffest, and most aerodynamic in their class.
“This is an exciting development as we have a special project for Azizul and Shah regarding the WXR bicycles, and currently, we are in the testing phase.
“For Izzah, her official qualification for the Olympic Games will be announced shortly, so she will also be provided with the latest WXR bike.
“We have discovered that Azizul and Izzah have similar physical attributes, so there will only be a few tweaks, especially in the pedal section,” said Faedzal.
Nurul Izzah will join Azizulhasni and Shah Firdaus for an aero tunnel test at Silverstone, in the United Kingdom, this weekend, with another test expected in June for data collection purposes.
For the record, the WXR-Vorteq bicycles built in 2020 incurred expenses of RM13 million, including in the research and development process.
Nurul Izzah made headlines when she unexpectedly qualified to compete in the sprint and keirin events at the Paris Olympic Games.
The last time Malaysia had a female track cyclist competing at the world’s largest sporting event was during the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro, with Fatehah Mustapa. – April 19, 2024