KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Azeem Fahmi’s Olympic debut in Paris ended in the first round of the men’s 100m race today.
Running in heat two, the Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist finished last (ninth) with a time of 10.45 seconds.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala came in first (10.08s), followed by Italy’s Ali Chituru (10.12s) and Germany’s Joshua Hartmann (10.16s).
The top three sprinters from each of the heats, one to eight, and the next three fastest, advanced to the semi-finals.
Speaking to the local media at the Stade de France, a clearly dejected Azeem lamented: “I slipped a little, but things happen; it’s not the result I wanted.
“I tried to give my best, but as many of you already know, my season has not been going great.
“What I can say from today’s race is that it’s very disappointing; I never thought I’d fall this badly.
“But I will take this as a learning curve; there is still a very long way for me. I’m only 20.
“I’m sorry to all Malaysians for my poor results.
“I promise to bounce back stronger, and God willing, in four years’ time, I will qualify on merit for the 2028 LA Games.”
Earlier, Azeem, who holds the national record of 10.09s, qualified for the first round after finishing second in heat one of the preliminary rounds with a time of 10.42s. Gambia’s Ebrahima Camara (10.29s) came in first, while Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis (10.43s) came in third.
Azeem was Malaysia’s sole representative in the track and field event. He had made it to the Games on a wildcard ticket, after having failed to meet the 10.00s qualification mark at the end of the qualifying period in June. – August 3, 2024