Eight years after carrying Malaysia's flag at the opening of the Beijing Olympics, Azizulhasni Awang finally fulfilled the dream of winning his country's first medal in track cycling on Tuesday.

Awang, nicknamed the 'Pocket Rocket' because of his diminutive stature, came third in the keirin, earning a bronze medal for a country with little heritage in a sport dominated by Europe and Australia.

After disappointment at the past two Games, the 28-year-old who sustained an horrific injury in 2011 when part of a wooden track pierced his leg, finished just behind Matthijs Buchli of the Netherlands in a race won by Britain's Jason Kenny.