KUALA LUMPUR – The Higher Education Ministry can forget about fielding national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi in the 2023 World University Games (Universiade) in Chengdu, China from July 28 to August 8.
Head of the athlete preparation committee for the Chengdu Universiade, Datuk Pekan Ramli confirmed that Azeem would not be competing in China as his coach, Leroy Burrell, wants to focus on the national sprint sensation’s rehabilitation process following a groin injury he suffered last month.
Based on information from Burrell, Pekan said it is crucial for the United States-based athlete to fully focus on recovering from his injury to ensure Azeem is fit to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to 27.
“Azeem has the potential to deliver a medal if he were to compete in the Chengdu Universiade.
“But because of the injury, we had to change our plans, and Azeem’s coach also wants to ensure he is fit and ready for the World Athletics Championships,” he said.
As such, Pekan said they would be counting on Mohammad Thaqif Mohammad Hisham to replace Azeem in China.
He said Thaqif has a personal best of 10.69s, which he set at the Hong Kong Athletics Championships in April.
The Chengdu Universiade was supposed to have been held from August 16 to 27, 2021, but was postponed to this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides the World Athletics Championships, Azeem, who holds the national men’s 100m record of 10.09s, is also expected to compete in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in China from September 23 to October 8.
Azeem, who is studying at Auburn University in Alabama, broke the national record at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia last August, thus erasing the old mark of 10.18s set by Khairul Hafiz Jantan at the 2016 Malaysia Games in Kuching, Sarawak. – Bernama, June 19, 2023
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