In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Awang is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Muhammad Azizulhasni. The word "bin"/"ibn" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Dato'Muhammad Azizulhasni Awang @ Muda (born 5 January 1988) is a Malaysian professional track cyclist and sprinter based in Melbourne, Australia. Nicknamed the "Pocket Rocketman" because of his small stature, he is the first and only Malaysian cyclist to win an Olympic medal and the first Malaysian athlete to compete at five Olympic Games.
Azizulhasni won bronze in the men's keirin at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro before improving to silver in the same event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In 2017, he became Malaysia's first track cycling world champion when he won the men's keirin at the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong, becoming the first Malaysian cyclist to wear the rainbow jersey.
In 2026, at the age of 38, he won the overall men's keirin title in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, after winning the Perth and Nilai rounds, and captured his first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the keirin at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Early life and education
Azizulhasni was born in Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia, to Awang Embong and Rokiah Husin. He is the eighth of nine children and was adopted by Mustafa Ngah and Selamiah Yong. He began cycling as a child and was later discovered by his first coach, Rozimi Omar, who encouraged him to concentrate on cycling.
He received his primary education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Batu 48 before attending Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Omar in Dungun. After his PMR examination, he received offers from several schools and eventually transferred to the national sports school at Bukit Jalil to pursue cycling.
Azizulhasni moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 2007 to join the Malaysian track cycling team's overseas training program under Australian coach John Beasley. He subsequently undertook tertiary studies in Australia. The Olympic Council of Malaysia reported in 2024 that he had studied at Deakin University in 2009–2010 and later pursued a Bachelor of Exercise Science at Victoria University. In December 2024, Bernama reported that he was completing a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University.
In 2015, Azizulhasni became the first non-Australian athlete to receive a Blue Award from Victoria University.
Career
Early international career
Azizulhasni represented Malaysia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he was Malaysia's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He won his first World Championships medal in 2009, taking silver in the individual sprint in Pruszków, Poland.
He followed this with another World Championships silver medal in the keirin in 2010. He was named Malaysian Sportsman of the Year in both 2009 and 2010.
In February 2011, Azizulhasni was involved in a major crash during the keirin final at a UCI Track Cycling World Cup event in Manchester. Despite completing the race, a 20cm wooden splinter had pierced his leg and required surgical removal.
Olympic medals and world title
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Azizulhasni won bronze in the men's keirin, becoming the first Malaysian cyclist to win an Olympic medal.
In April 2017, he won the men's keirin at the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong. The victory made him Malaysia's first track cycling world champion and earned him the rainbow jersey.
At the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, he won gold in both the sprint and keirin. His sprint victory delivered Malaysia's 111th gold medal of the Games.
At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Azizulhasni won gold in the individual sprint, silver in the team sprint and bronze in the keirin.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, held in 2021, he won silver in the men's keirin, improving on his bronze medal from Rio.
Heart surgery and return
In April 2022, Azizulhasni underwent corrective open-heart surgery at Epworth Richmond Hospital in Melbourne after being diagnosed with anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery (AAORCA).
He subsequently returned to international competition. At the 2023 Asian Track Cycling Championships at the National Velodrome in Nilai, he won both the men's sprint and keirin titles. The keirin victory was his 12th Asian Championships gold medal.
Azizulhasni was due to compete at the postponed 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in September 2023, but withdrew shortly before the Games after sustaining injuries in a training accident.
Paris 2024
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Azizulhasni became the first Malaysian athlete to compete at five Olympic Games.
During qualification for the men's sprint, he set a Malaysian national record of 9.402 seconds for the flying 200 metres. He later exited the sprint competition before the quarter-finals.
In the men's keirin, Azizulhasni was disqualified during the first round for passing the derny before it had left the track. Malaysia appealed the decision, but the chief commissaire and the UCI upheld the disqualification.
2026 season
Azizulhasni returned to top-level international competition in 2026.
At the opening round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Perth, Australia, he won gold in the men's keirin and bronze in the individual sprint.
At the final World Cup round in Nilai in April, he again won the men's keirin, defeating reigning world champion Harrie Lavreysen, and took another bronze medal in the sprint. His two keirin victories gave him 1,600 points and the overall 2026 UCI Track World Cup keirin title, 15 years after his previous overall World Cup keirin title.
At the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Azizulhasni won the men's keirin gold medal, his first Commonwealth Games title and the final Commonwealth Games appearance of his career. He was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the men's sprint and later volunteered to compete in the 1,000-metre time trial, where he finished 10th.
At the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Azizulhasni returned to the Asian Games for the first time since 2018. On 30 September, he recorded 9.467 seconds in men's sprint qualifying, the third-fastest time overall, before defeating India's David Beckham Elkatohchoongo and Kazakhstan's Kirill Kurdidi to advance to the quarter-finals against Japan's Kanata Takahashi.
Personal life
Azizulhasni married Athiah Ilyana Abd Samat on 30 January 2010. The couple are Australian permanent residents and live in Melbourne. They have four daughters.
↑Lim, Teik Huat (26 April 2026). "Special home ride". The Star.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Glasgow 2026: "My Prayers To End The Games With A Gold Medal Answered" - Mohd Azizulhasni". Bernama. 1 August 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Azizulhasni Rules Out Participation In 2025 ACC". Bernama. 12 December 2024.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Mohd Azizulhasni recovering after heart surgery". Bernama. 1 May 2022.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"ACC 2023: Azizulhasni In Seventh Heaven After Reclaiming Asian Sprint Gold". Bernama. 16 June 2023.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Mohd Azizulhasni Wins Asian Keirin Gold, Repeats Two-gold Feat". Bernama. 18 June 2023.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Azizulhasni pulls out of Asian Games due to injuries". Malay Mail. 20 September 2023.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Kenyataan terhadap insiden penyertaan Dato' Mohd Azizulhasni Awang OLY dibatalkan dalam saringan 1, pusingan pertama, acara keirin lelaki di Paris 2024". National Sports Council of Malaysia. 11 August 2024.{{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
↑"Azizulhasni Wins Bronze In Sprint Event At UCI Track Cycling World Cup". Bernama. 8 March 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑Lim, Teik Huat (26 April 2026). "Special home ride". The Star.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Glasgow 2026: "My Prayers To End The Games With A Gold Medal Answered" - Mohd Azizulhasni". Bernama. 1 August 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Glasgow 2026: Azizulhasni Bows Out In Men's Sprint Quarter Finals". Bernama. 1 August 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Glasgow 2026: Azizulhasni Finishes 10th After Stepping Up For 1,000M Time Trial". Bernama. 2 August 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"Aichi-Nagoya 2026: Izzah Izzati's Bronze In Cycling Sets The Momentum For Tomorrow's Medal Hunt". Bernama. 30 September 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑"'Pocket Rocketman' Azizulhasni Third Athlete Conferred "Darjah Bakti" By King". Bernama. 1 June 2026.{{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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