KUANTAN – National sprint sensation Muhammad Azeem Fahmi’s determination remains unwavering despite falling short of his desired timing in the 100m at the Malaysia Open yesterday, a crucial opportunity to brighten his chances for the Paris Olympics.
He is still motivated by the challenge posed by national legend Watson Nyambek two months ago, urging Azeem to qualify for the Olympics on merit, even though the wild card slot seems likely now.
Watson believes Azeem’s merit-based qualification would bolster his confidence to compete against the world’s best runners in Paris.
Watson, also known as The Flying Dayak, has competed twice in the Olympic Games, at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
“To answer the challenge set by our national legend, Watson Nyambek, I do feel the need for such challenges. I cannot afford to stay in a comfortable situation because we can see our country’s athletes, even in the Southeast Asian region, are truly on the rise.
“God willing, next week in Kazakhstan, it will be my final opportunity to improve my time, and perhaps, who knows, I might become the first Malaysian athlete to clock a time under 10 seconds.
“I will give it my best shot, but as everyone knows, whatever I do, I place my full trust in God,” said Azeem, who holds the national record with a time of 10.09sec.
Based on the current world rankings, the only successful athlete from Asia to record a time under 10 seconds is Japanese sprinter Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who clocked 9.97sec at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary last year.
Azeem’s challenger from the Southeast Asia region, Puripol Boonson from Thailand, currently ranked 56th in the world, has a personal best of 10.02sec achieved at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last October.
In the 100m final at the Malaysia Open held at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan on Saturday, Azeem not only needed to win but also clock a time under 10.25sec to improve his world ranking.
However, the 20-year-old sprinter had to accept a time of 10.43sec.
Ironically, just a week before that, Azeem played a crucial role in helping Auburn University win the gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the National Collegiate Athletics Association Championships in Oregon last Sunday, clocking 38.03sec.
The time stands as the fourth fastest in the world currently.
As a result, criticism has started to emerge, pointing out that there has not been significant improvement since his move to Auburn last January, especially in achieving personal bests in individual events.
“Give me another year or two to reach the peak of my career. I’m only 20-years-old and will strive to do my best,” he added. – June 17, 2024