KUALA LUMPUR – With an opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, sports icon Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan has reminded national runners Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi and Shereen Samson Vallabouy to make the most of it.
Should the athletes fail to qualify on merit, the Malaysian Athletics Federation selection committee has until July 8 to submit only one of their names to the Olympic Council of Malaysia for a wildcard entry.
Jegathesan emphasised that Azeem and Shereen must give it their all in this final push.
“I hope Azeem and Shereen, who have this last-minute opportunity to qualify and participate in the Olympics, will seize it. I believe they are both talented and it would certainly add value if they could join the Olympics.
“There are a few more competitions to participate in, so that’s the only chance they have. They need to prove their capabilities to the fullest if they want to get there (Paris),” he told Bernama today.
Despite being the national 100m record holder with a time of 10.09s, Azeem’s season’s best stands at 10.24s, recorded at the LSU Invitational Athletics Championships in Los Angeles on April 27, still short of the Paris 100m qualifying mark of 10s.
Shereen, on the other hand, achieved a milestone earlier today by setting a new national women’s 400m record of 51.79s, yet she needs to clock at least 50.95s to secure her spot in the Olympics. – June 2, 2024