KUALA LUMPUR – Despite smashing the national 100m record yesterday, sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi has yet to reach his peak and should be given space to progress, said Malaysia’s athletics head coach.
Mohd Manshahar Abdul Jalil told The Vibes that the 18-year-old shows great promise after breaking the six-year-old record as a junior athlete, but warns against “pushing him too hard”.
His achievement is exceptional, superb even. For a junior athlete to break a national record shows that his potential is on another level.”
However, Manshahar said it is important not to overwork Azeem just because he has shown potential at his tender age.
“We have to take great care. He is still young. Even though he is improving and running very well, we need to make sure he is taken care of.
“Just because he is the fastest runner Malaysia has now, does not mean we have to push him hard and enter him in every competition.”
He said the key is allowing Azeem to progress at his own pace.
Azeem ran the 100m in 10.09s in the eighth heat at the U-20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia, yesterday. He will also be competing in the 200m event tomorrow.
The previous national 100m record was 10.18s, set by Khairul Hafiz Jantan in 2016 during the Sukma Games held that year in Kuching, Sarawak.
“I am very proud of Azeem’s accomplishment. He has shown that he is a strong competitor and can be successful,” said Khairul.
Having trained during the recent Hanoi SEA Games, he said Azeem has also proven his skills on an international stage.
I pray that Azeem will keep doing his best during the finals, even go below 10s. All of Malaysia is behind him.”
Meanwhile, Khairul said he is in good condition preparing for the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games in Turkey scheduled from August 9 to 18. – The Vibes, August 3, 2022
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