KUALA LUMPUR – National sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi faces a race against time, battling not just for fitness but also against the effects of jet lag, with less than 72 hours to gear up for the Malaysia Open Athletics Championships.
The championships kick off this Friday at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan.
Upon his return to Malaysia this morning, Azeem shared the challenges of his recent journey back from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in Oregon, which concluded on Sunday.
However, as an experienced athlete, Azeem refuses to let any of this become an excuse to hinder his pursuit of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
“As many are aware, this weekend poses one of the biggest challenges for me as there are high expectations from various parties for my performance at the Malaysia Open.
“Not only others, but I myself am hoping to perform well this weekend in Kuantan.
“As everyone knows, I’ve just finished the NCAA Championships and have just arrived in Malaysia. My journey home was quite challenging as I had to travel straight after the championships. From Oregon, it took me six hours, and then I only had a few hours in Auburn before heading to Atlanta on Monday and arriving in Malaysia today. So, my entire journey has exceeded 48 hours,” said Azeem upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport this morning.
Based on the competition schedule issued by the Malaysia Athletics Federation, Azeem’s pet 100m event is slated for Saturday. It commences with the heats at 10am, followed by the semi-finals around 5.50pm.
The final is scheduled for later in the evening, at approximately 9pm. This means Azeem might find himself sprinting three times in a single day.
For Azeem, winning the 100m is paramount to enhance his chances of qualifying for July’s Olympics.
“I’m trying my best, even attempting to undergo the recovery process during the flight and layover, and hopefully, it’s sufficient. I will give my all and leave everything to God.
“I don’t want to make all this an excuse because, for me, this is the best platform to do something for this season,” he added. – June 12, 2024