KUALA LUMPUR: Track cycling technical director John Beasley said he still cannot explain the sudden drop in Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri’s speed at the World Championships in Santiago despite her record-breaking form earlier in the season.
Izzah had gone into the meet with strong indicators after a national record in March.
The 22-year-old clocked 10.578s in the sprint qualifying round at the Nations Cup in Konya, Turkiye, erasing her previous mark of 10.658s set at the Asian Track Championships in Nilai last February.
But she could only manage 11.019s in the sprint event in Chile, last month, a sharp dip that left the coaching team searching for answers.
Beasley said several factors may have played a part but none fully explain the loss of power.
“I really believe it was a combination of things, we have a coach that has stepped up into the new role, also a still relatively new athlete making small mistakes during her steep learning curve, the main thing is we get things right moving forward,” he said.
“For whatever reason Izzah was not at her best in Santiago, ever since we landed, her powers were not as they were prior to leaving. Still not completely sure if it was the long travel along with other contributing factors.”
He added that the Chile track presented conditions unfamiliar to the young sprinter.
“The track was very different to anything Izzah has raced on over her short career; that was a small contributing factor also, though there are really no excuses. Izzah just had a bad championship.”
Beasley said the outing still produced vital lessons for the athlete and coaching staff.
“There was lots of learning that came out of the week and I am sure the team will be better prepared moving forward. We did have an equipment change though that was introduced a couple of months prior and we had a positive improvement effect from that change.”
He admitted the new setup required altered gearing choices which may have influenced decisions on race day.
“All the same, the equipment change required different gearing selections and this could have been a trap for the new coach, though it still does not add up for why the performance was so below Izzah’s normal racing performance.”
Beasley also reflected on his own move from head coach to mentor.
“Honestly, I find it a hard transition moving from head coach calling the shots on race day to now being very much in a sporting mentoring role where sometimes I have to sit back and watch things unfold that I might have done differently though, as you said, that’s how we all learn.”
He reiterated the team’s full backing for both Izzah and her coach Harnizam Basri.
“They are both quality people and one thing they know is everyone has bad days and it is all about how you move forward, this two both have all our 100 per cent support, I know how Zam was feeling as I have been in his position, the great thing about our team is they know and feel the support through the good and bad times.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
