KUALA LUMPUR – After a 24-year wait, Malaysia will finally see a national sprinter in the men’s 100m event at the Olympics as champion Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi heads to Paris this month.
Legendary national sprinter Watson Nyambek, who was the last individual to carry the national challenge in the event at the Sydney 2000 edition, sees the wait as being able to bring on something positive.
However, Watson, who is also known as the Flying Dayak, said Azeem should be considered an underdog and allowed to run freely without pressure in Paris. He also advised the 2022 Asian Games 100m bronze medal winner to use the opportunity as best as possible to gain experience.
“The experience is extremely valuable. We consider him (Azeem) as an underdog, let there be no pressure for him and let him feel free to run without pressure – that is enough.
“Because if he thinks he is not an underdog, (and instead) a favourite, he will burden himself…at the Olympics we are like newborns.
“Entering the Olympic zone he will see how the world’s athletes compete. He has a lot to learn, for example in terms of warm-up it is different, so he must take that opportunity,” Watson told Bernama at Stadium Miri, Sarawak recently.
The Paris Olympics is scheduled from July 26 to August 11.
Watson made two appearances at the Olympics in the same event including the Atlanta 1996 edition besides Sydney, while another former national and Southeast Asian sprint champion Nazmizan Muhammad made an appearance in the 200m event at the 2004 Athens edition.
The 100m silver medalist at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships in Japan acknowledged the heavy pressure he faced in his two Olympic appearances, hoping Azeem would not face the same obstacles.
“It’s true, we do feel pressured because of the tremendous hope on us to run for the country. We are the ones who carry the burden when we wear Malaysian attire – we can feel the burden.
“So we have to think, if people are hiping for us to do our best. We understand that the money that goes into this is not ours but the people’s money, so we will do our best,” said Watson.
Earlier this month, Azeem was chosen by the Malaysian Athletics Federation to fill the universal slot in Paris 2024, allowing the national 100m record holder of 10.09sec to make his Olympic debut.
Watson is just one among the many who are happy with the news and expressed optimism about the 20-year-old Perak-born athlete.
“I feel very happy because there is a sprinter representing Malaysia in the 100m event (men) after me. I think Azeem should use this opportunity to record the best time.
“If you look at it now, he is a wildcard. If he goes to the Olympics and beats the qualifying time (10sec), that is enough to be proud of,” said Watson while describing Azeem as a special athlete because he has the height that can compete with world-class athletes.
Watson held the national record of 10.30sec for 18 years before Melaka sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan broke that record by clocking 10.18sec when he won the Sarawak Malaysian Games gold medal in 2016.
Watson, 48, now continues to devote himself to developing local talent as a full-time contract coach of the Sarawak Sports Council. – July 15, 2024
