Azizulhasni Awang, the Pocket Rocketman: Malaysia’s Olympic Track Cycling Breakthrough
In Malaysia’s Olympic history, Azizulhasni Awang wrote a singular chapter. The keirin star from Terengganu, nicknamed the “Pocket Rocketman” for his explosive finishing sprint, won Malaysia’s first-ever Olympic track cycling medal, transforming the sport’s standing at home.
From Rio to Tokyo: two Olympic medals
At Rio 2016 he took bronze in the men’s keirin, becoming the first Malaysian to medal in Olympic track cycling; at Tokyo 2020 he went further with silver in the same event. The leap from bronze to silver distilled years of relentless training and mental work, and thrilled a nation — countless Malaysians watching late into the night witnessed the history.
2017 world champion and the “Pocket Rocketman”
In 2017 he won the keirin World Championship, confirming his place among the world’s best. The nickname “Pocket Rocketman” comes from his height of about 1.68m — not typical for a track sprinter — but he made up for it with explosive power, cornering skill and tactical intelligence to become one of the most dangerous riders on the boards.
The grit behind the steel legs
He once suffered a horrific crash in which a wooden barrier splinter pierced his calf, yet through astonishing willpower he completed surgery and rehab to return to racing — the origin of his “steel legs” reputation. He competed at four Olympics (from Beijing 2008), won two medals and was twice named Malaysia’s Sportsman of the Year, a defining figure of national sporting grit.
A dreamer who trained abroad
Born in a small Terengganu town in 1988, he spent long spells in Melbourne, Australia, training systematically under top coaches to forge himself into an elite sprinter. Besides Olympic medals he won at the Commonwealth Games and across Asia; in 2022 he underwent heart surgery and recovered strongly. From small-town boy to four-time Olympian, nearly two decades of persistence tells successors that even a small town can produce a world-class champion.
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