KUALA LUMPUR – National sprinting sensation Muhammad Azeem Fahmi has no plans to alter his routine ahead of the 100m race at the Paris Olympics, which begins on Saturday.
Despite the immense pressure and high expectations to replicate his national record of 10.09 seconds, set in Cali, Colombia, Azeem remains focused on his primary objective of progressing to the next round.
Competing in Paris via a universal slot, Azeem will begin with the preliminary heats.
To advance to the first round, he must finish among the top three in his heat.
In the first round, he will again need to place among the top three in his heat to move on to the semi-finals, joining the other 23 fastest runners.
“Based on what the coach has told me, our focus this time is simply on execution. We want to do our best and avoid making any major changes. Instead, we’ll concentrate on maintaining what we’ve been working on over the past month and year.
“The plan is to stick to our routine, execute well, and stay focused. Our goal is to survive and advance to the next round. If I stay relaxed, I’m confident the results will follow,” said Azeem.
He also mentioned that he has started to acclimate to the conditions at Stade de France in Paris, noting that the weather there is not much different from Kuala Lumpur.
Although Azeem was initially scheduled to travel to Stuttgart, Germany, for a training camp led by his United States-based coach Ken Harnden, he opted to stay in Malaysia.
This choice allowed him to utilise the expertise of the National Sports Institute and receive guidance from sports science expert Jad Adrian Washif.
As a result, Azeem is confident that his preparations are on track and progressing smoothly. – August 2, 2024