KUALA LUMPUR – The aspiration of Malaysia’s 400m sprinter, Umar Osman, to pursue his education abroad still burns bright, and this weekend’s competition in Kuantan at the Malaysian Open Athletics Championship serves as a lifeline for him to turn that dream into reality.
Umar was supposed to join Malaysia’s sensational sprinter, Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, in attending Auburn University, Alabama, in January, but he faced a setback when he failed the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination, delaying his plans.
Now, not only does he need to retake that exam, but at the same time, he must clock a better time to convince Auburn to select him as a student-athlete at the institution.
Furthermore, he also needs to handle registration with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after technical issues arose in his previous application.
“Although it was conducted online, the procedure was very strict. I admit I was somewhat disappointed when the results did not turn out as I had hoped earlier this year, but I am determined to try again.
“As the Malaysian Open approaches, it will be my third championship this year, so naturally, I want to achieve a better timing record than the previous ones I participated in.
“I need to set a goal to improve my timing record to give confidence to Auburn University that they can select me without hesitation,” said Umar.
Despite having a significant mission at the Malaysian Open this weekend, Umar is hesitant to burden himself with undue pressure, particularly regarding breaking his own national record of 46.09 seconds (s), set at the World University Games (Universiade) in Chengdu, China, last August.
This is because Umar has only recently recovered from a thigh injury he suffered at the end of last year.
Therefore, Umar’s target is to improve upon his season best of 47.53s, which he achieved at the Super Series Pahang Open Championship last May.
“Because of that, I want to achieve my best performance this season to regain my confidence. To match the national record is not my focus yet, but I just want to achieve my best this year.
“After I achieve that, then I’ll know if I can break the national record again or not.
“I’m fresh to attempt my best time. So I set high expectations for myself, aiming for around 46 seconds, but not to break the national record,” he added. – June 13, 2024