Teen sprint sensation Azeem will stay grounded.
Teen sprint sensation Azeem relies on more than just talent
Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi will attest that it takes more than talent to succeed in sports.
The 15-year-old sprint sensation said that without discipline and hard work, he would not have made his mark at the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Athletics Championships in Johor Baru last week.
The Form Three student of SMK Gunung Rapat in Perak ran the race of his life in the 200m to clock a personal best of 21.24 to break his own mark of 21.89 in the Under-15 which he set last year.
His effort is also better than the Under-18 record of 21.59 set by Muhd Aiedel Sa’adon of Melaka in 2017.
Azeem also surpassed the Asian Schools Games record of 21.39 set by Badrul Hisyam Abdul Manap in 2015.
In the 100m, he broke his own MSSM record twice. In the semi-finals, he clocked 10.72 to erase the mark of 10.87 he did last year.
In the final, he won the gold medal in 10.63. Azeem, who is the fourth child among five siblings, was delighted with his efforts and thanked his coaches Muhammad Amir Izwan, Mohamad Hazuan Zainal Abidin and K. Gokulavanan.
“I won’t be able to do all this without their guidance,” said Azeem.
“They always tell me to work hard to achieve your goals and not to lose focus.
“I also want to thank my parents (Mohd Fahmi Tajuid and Norazah Ibrahim) for their continuous support.”
His teacher and head coach Amir believed that Azeem has a bright future.
“He is disciplined, hard working and always follows coaches’ advice.
“I first noticed his talent when he was in Standard five.
“He has slowly but surely made steady progress in the last two years. He is only 15 but has recorded impressive times in the 100m and 200m,” said Amir, who has been a coach for 17 years.
“We don’t want to push him too hard as we don’t want him to get burned out.
“We have plans for him to break the 100m and 200m national records in five years’ time,” added Amir, who hopes Azeem will be selected for the Asean School Games in Semarang, Indonesia, in July.
The 100m national record is 10.18 while the 200m mark is 20.77.
We have plans for him to break the 100m and 200m national records in five years’ time.
Muhammad Amir Izwan