Shah Firdaus Confident Of Regaining Peak Form Before 2026 Asian Games

NILAI, April 26 (Bernama) -- National men’s track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom believes he can return to peak form for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, scheduled to begin in September.

The 29-year-old rider said his performance is now back on track after clocking a sub-10 seconds in the individual sprint, which he described as a positive sign after being hampered by a knee injury throughout last year.

He said the sub-10s mark was his first since undergoing surgery about five months ago.

“Now that I’m seeing a time of 9.8s, getting back to my personal best of 9.4s feels achievable. Within a week I’ve already managed to shave off around 0.2s, which is a positive development.

“I can also see and know what needs to be improved, including my acceleration and other aspects,” he said when met after the second round of the individual sprint at the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup at the National Velodrome in Nilai today.

At today’s race, Shah Firdaus achieved his main target at the meet by clocking under 10s after recording 9.895s in the qualifying round, the 25th fastest time among 54 riders.

He then had little trouble defeating Italy’s Stefano Minuta in the 1/16 round before his run ended in the 1/8 round after losing to another Italian rider, Mattia Predomo.

He said using heavier gearing at the meet did not cause any knee pain as experienced previously.

“So far, there’s no pain at all. However, during the race just now, it could be seen that using the bigger gear affected my acceleration,” he said.

Shah Firdaus, nicknamed The Terminator, enjoyed a career highlight when he won the keirin gold medal at the Nations Cup in Konya, Turkiye, in March last year.

Apart from the 2026 Asian Games, Shah Firdaus is also scheduled to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, beginning in July.

-- BERNAMA