HANGZHOU – After a costly false start in his SEA Games debut in Hanoi last year, Malaysian sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi found it tough to overcome his fear of making the same mistake in major competitions.
The 19-year-old, who ended Malaysia’s 41-year wait for an Asian Games medal in the men’s 100m dash when he took home the bronze last night, admitted he was always worried about committing false starts, which leads to instant disqualification, in his races.
It constantly affected his reaction to the gun, with Azeem posting the slowest time among the first-round heat winners in Hangzhou Olympic Stadium and a reaction time of 0.178s in heat 3.
However, the US-based runner managed to improve his reaction time in the semi-final to 0.147s, while in the final he reacted in 0.149s to secure the bronze with a timing of 10.11s, a whisker away from his national record of 10.09s. It was also his first medal in any international competition.
China’s Xie Zhenye, who equaled his personal best of 9.97s to claim gold reacted in 0.148s, while Thailand’s silver medalist Puripol Boonson (10.02s) reacted in 0.162s, after his compatriot Soraoat Dapbang was earlier disqualified for a false start.
“(False start) was what I feared most. I became more careful at the starting block especially in major meets as the sensor is quite sensitive.
“That’s why my coach (Ken Harnden) and I have been working for months before this, and Alhamdulillah, (my) reaction time in the final was very encouraging, it helped me maintain my momentum.”
Azeem admitted the final 20m was always his Achilles heel, adding that in the final, his posturing went slightly wrong in that stretch.
“It is okay, at least we know what we have to work on after this, insya-Allah looking forward to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” he said.
Azeem’s achievement ended the country’s 41-year wait for a podium finish in the blue ribbon event, since Datuk Rabuan Pit claimed the gold in the 1982 edition in New Delhi. – October 1, 2023
