SEPANG – It was not a dream debut for national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi at the Paris Olympic Games, but he is determined to come back stronger, drawing inspiration from track cycling star Datuk Azizulhasni Awang.
During the 100m qualifying round, Azeem clocked a time of 10.42sec, which was enough to advance to the first round. However, in the first round, Azeem was eliminated after finishing last with a time of 10.45sec.
Azeem’s dream of becoming the first Malaysian sprinter to run under the 10-second mark was dashed. Adding to the situation, he faced harsh criticism for his lacklustre performance in his Olympic debut.
The sprinter’s best time was 10.09sec which was set in Cali, Colombia, during the World Under-20 Championship two years ago.
With this timing, Azeem broke the national record of 10.18sec, which was previously held by Khairul Hafiz Jantan.
Azeem, however, remains undeterred by the criticisms, drawing inspiration from Azizulhasni’s career journey to fuel his own ambitions for success.
“I take Datuk Azizul as an example as he is one of my idols. He started competing in the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing at the age of 20 and managed to qualify for the round of 16.
“We know that every great athlete starts from the bottom, so I use them as my benchmark because I am confident and believe that you need time to develop in sports.
“Although initially, it was difficult for me to accept all the criticism and slander, I knew that this was the process I had to go through to become better.
“So I accept whatever people want to say about me, and I will prove myself to them without saying anything. I will only speak with my results,” said Azeem on his arrival at KLIA today. – August 7, 2024