Dubbed the “Pocket Rocketman”, Azizulhasni is mentioned by AFP as one of the five track cyclists to watch, with 12 gold medals at stake at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome.

Azizulhasni, 36, has said he wanted to complete the medal haul at the prestigious Games, having previously won silver and bronze in the keirin event at the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Games, respectively.

According to the international news agency, the popular keirin speedster had heart surgery in 2022, but that has not stopped him from pursuing his dream of Olympic gold.

Despite his small stature, it said, going one better in Paris is on his radar.

“At his fifth and final Olympics, plenty will be cheering for the veteran to go out on a high,” it said.

The others to watch are:

• Jennifer Valente (USA), the first American woman to win an Olympic track cycling gold medal at Tokyo three years ago, and has asserted herself as the woman to beat in the omnium, winning back-to-back world titles in 2022 and 2023.
• Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands), who has led the Dutch dominance of sprint events since Rio, owning 13 world championship titles and two Olympic golds after winning the sprint and team sprint in Tokyo.
• Ellesse Andrews (New Zealand), who bagged a surprise keirin silver on her Olympic debut in 2021 and has only got better since, storming to the world title in Glasgow last year.
• Emma Finucane (Britain), the new face of British cycling after bursting on the scene by winning the sprint world title last year. She will also go in the keirin and team sprint in her bid to become the first female cyclist to win three golds at the same Olympics.