KUALA LUMPUR – Former national sprinter Watson Nyambek has thrown down the gauntlet for Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, urging him to surpass the qualification mark for the Paris Olympics set at 10.00 seconds for the 100m event.
This challenge comes as a wild card entry to the prestigious sporting event, which seems almost certain for Azeem.
Malaysian Athletics Federation technical director Robert Ballard confirmed that the governing body is considering nominating Azeem for a wild card slot if no Malaysian athlete qualifies for the Paris Olympics on merit.
Watson, once dubbed “The Flying Dayak”, believes that if Azeem manages to achieve this, the 19-year-old runner will have greater confidence when competing in Paris.
The road to Paris will not be easy, as sprinters from around the world, including Asia, have already achieved times below 10 seconds, setting a high bar for Azeem’s aspirations.
Currently boasting a personal best of 10.09 seconds, Azeem’s potential sub-10-second performance would mark him as the first Malaysian sprinter to break this significant barrier in the 100m event.
“It’s good to have a safety net with the wild card, but my hope is that he (Azeem) will strive to break the 10-second barrier.
“At the Olympics, he will face many talented sprinters, most of whom have better times. If he arrives in Paris with a sub-10-second time, he will be more confident to compete with them.
“For me, there is still room for him to improve his current national record. I believe he can do it,” said Watson to Scoop.
For the record, Watson competed in two editions of the Olympic Games, namely Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2000.
With the Olympic deadline set for June 30, Azeem has approximately three months to improve his personal best. – March 21, 2024