🚴‍ UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2018

The UCI Track Cycling World Championships 2018 is being held at the Omnisport Apeldoorn, Netherlands from February 28 to March 4. 

The only Southeast Asian team who participated in this world championships was team Malaysia  with two cyclists in the name of 2017 SEA Games gold medalist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom.

Both cyclists competed in the men's keirin event.  Awang also competed in the men's sprint.

In the first round of keirin event, Sahrom was closed in advancing to  the next round but placed second behind Matthijs Büchli of the host nation in heat 5.

Awang on the other hand was in heat no. 6 and placed 3rd in his group. Only the top rider per group advanced but a repechage round was given for those who did not make it in the first round.

In the repechage round, both Malaysian riders failed to qualify for the next round as Awang placed second in heat 1 while Sahrom placed 3rd in heat 5.

This means a new keirin champion will be named after 2017 men's keirin world champion Azizulhasni Awang unsuccessfully defend his crown. 

In men's sprint, Awang placed 28th in the qualifying round and got a time of 10.072, enough for him to advance in the head-to-head round of 1/16e. 

But his chance for medal darken as Great Britain's Jack Carlin ousted him in heat 1 of 1/16 round, ending his campaign at this year's championship. 

This world championship for track cycling attracted 40 countries and featured 20 events.

Malaysia is the overall champion in cycling at the 2017 SEA Games collecting 13 gold medals and expected to win medals in the coming Asian Games 2018 to be held in Indonesia.