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KUALA LUMPUR - Sensational national sprinter, Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi is on the right track to record a time of 6.50 seconds (s) in the 60 metres (m) event in the future.
The confidence was expressed by former sprint king of Southeast Asia, Nazmizan Muhammad based on the momentum possessed by Azeem, the 18-year-old runner who displayed an amazing run with a time of 6.62s in the event at the Tiger Paw Invitational in the United States on Friday, thereby breaking his own national record.
In the meet held at Clemson University, South Carolina, Azeem, representing Auburn University, clocked 6.62 seconds (s) in the final to finish in fifth place, 0.01s lower than the time he set in the same event at the 2023 Texas Tech Open, last month.
Nazmizan said the athlete from Perak is considered lucky because his participation in many meets in the US can indirectly help him improve his running performance on the track.
"I' won't be surprised (about the 6.50s time) because Azeem already has momentum, and his confidence level is getting higher after breaking the national record twice in two weeks in the US.
“In the US, they have many competitions, almost every week, so this is an opportunity for him to improve on weaknesses and polish his running,” he said.
As Azeem has produced spectacular sprints, Nazmizan said all sports fans in the country must be waiting to see if the 20th Malaysia Games champion is able to break his own 100m national record after this.
However, the Universiti Malaysia Perlis lecturer said he hopes all parties will not put too much pressure on Azeem, demanding instead that they give the runner full faith in his efforts to make a name for himself in sprint events at the world level.
“To break the national record, let's not put pressure on him and leave it to him. He will stay long term in the US, but if he succeeds in breaking the 100m national record in his first year there, I consider it an extraordinary achievement for him,” he said.
Last August, Azeem broke the 100m national record of 2017 SEA Games champion Khairul Hafiz Jantan (10.18s) by clocking 10.09s when topping heat eight of the qualifying round at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Nazmizan, the 2003 SEA Games 100m champion, at the same time is optimistic that Auburn University's track and field head coach Leroy Burrell, in addition to the experience of competing with top sprinters in the country, will soon boost Azeem's performance.
“I hope Azeem can keep his momentum, maintain discipline, enjoy the race, and focus on becoming the first Malaysian runner to run below 10s (in the 100m),” he said.
Azeem arrived at Auburn University in Alabama on January 4 to continue his studies while undergoing training there. – Bernama, February 13, 2023