KUALA LUMPUR – Regardless of whether national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi breaches the 10-second qualification mark for the 100m, his debut at the Paris Olympics in July is assured.
Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) technical director, Robert Ballard, has revealed to Scoop that the organisation is considering nominating him for a wild-card slot if no Malaysian track-and-field athlete qualifies for Paris on merit.
Ballard highlighted that Azeem’s name stood out as a top contender, with World Athletics only allocating wild-card slots for three events at the Paris Games – the 100m, 800m and marathon.
Alongside Azeem, three other athletes striving to qualify for the world’s biggest sporting event are Shereen Samson Vallabouy (400m), Andre Anura Anuar (triple jump) and Irfan Shamsuddin (discus throw).
However, Ballard acknowledged the challenge faced by Andre and Irfan to qualify on merit, given their declining rankings as the new sports season begins.
“While it’s no longer termed a wild card, World Athletics now refers to them as non-qualified athletes.
“MAF can only nominate one athlete from the designated events… 100m, 800m and marathon, and Azeem fits the bill,” Ballard explained to Scoop.
“For Andre and Irfan, the road to qualification may be difficult, but we remain optimistic. However, if another athlete qualifies on merit, we cannot apply for that slot.”
Azeem and the other national athletes have until June 30 to demonstrate their capabilities and strive to qualify on merit for Paris.
Ballard also mentioned that he had already been in contact with Azeem’s coach at Auburn University to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the 19-year-old runner’s progress in the United States.
Last week, Azeem secured a bronze medal in the 100m at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in Atlanta, but he only managed a time of 10.38sec.
This performance is far from his personal best of 10.09sec set at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, in August 2022, which also stands as the national record.
“I just spoke with (Azeem’s coach) Ken (Harnden), and he advised against setting lofty targets for the start of this season as Azeem is still undergoing rigorous training.
“Ken did mention, however, that he is highly impressed with Azeem’s recent performance in the 100m relay event, where he and his teammates secured the gold medal,” he added. – March 19, 2024