The tears came in a flood for Azizulhasni Awang as soon as he won. The Malaysian veteran made his move in the keirin on the second-to-last bend, moved to the front on the back straight and crossed the finish line at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome with his trademark mini wheelie, becoming Commonwealth Games champion at the age of 38.
Awang then shed tears of joy while circling the track, raised the Malaysian flag after dismounting and wept again during an emotional medal ceremony, as Malaysia's anthem rang out for only the second time in the history of Commonwealth Games cycling. It could have been Awang celebrating that anthem before: in 2010 in New Delhi he lost the keirin gold through disqualification for dangerously sprinting between rivals, with teammate Josiah Ng promoted to first place.
The victory on Friday, July 31, came with silver going to Australia's Leigh Hoffman and bronze to England's Harry Ledingham-Horn. Awang, nicknamed the Pocket Rocketman for his 5-foot-6 (1.68m) frame, is regarded as one of the greatest keirin riders ever. He was world champion in 2017, won Olympic bronze in 2016 and silver in 2021, and this year has added World Cup keirin wins in Perth in March and Nilai, Malaysia, in April, claiming the annual series title.