Muhammad Azeem selected for Paris Olympics

KUALA LUMPUR - The mystery of which athlete will represent Malaysia in athletics at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has finally been resolved.

The Malaysian Athletics Federation (KOM) officially announced today that sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi will be the one to take the coveted spot.

After both Muhammad Azeem, 20, and 400m runner Shereen Samson Vallabouy, 25, who each won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games, failed to qualify directly (for the Paris Olympics), KOM confirmed that Muhammad Azeem would fill the sole wild card slot available.

KOM president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said Muhammad Azeem was chosen based on the available events for the wild card slot, which included only the 100m, 800m and marathon.

Due to that, he said that as a 100m specialist, Muhammad Azeem was selected over Shereen, who competes in the 400m, following a selection meeting held yesterday.

"Previously, we had two wild card spots (one male, one female), but for this Olympics, there is only one spot, and we don't have athletes for the 800m and marathon events. So, we had to make this tough decision based on the available events.

"I hope everyone views this decision positively... We hope whoever is selected will achieve positive results for a bright future," he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

He added that this is not the end for athletes who were not selected, as there are still opportunities to represent the country in other major events such as the SEA Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games in the coming years, besides striving to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games (LA28).

When asked if KOM had considered having Shereen compete in the 800m, which is seen as a more open competition, Shahidan said it would be difficult for an athlete untrained in that event to compete against world champions.

He also hopes that Muhammad Azeem can regain his top form, as he has not been at his best recently.

Most recently, he clocked 10.37s to win silver in the 100m at the ASEAN University Games (AUG) in Malang, Indonesia, behind host athlete Lalu Muhammad Zohri (10.19s) yesterday.

"We must remember that Azeem is still young, and he has plenty of time to push and improve his performance. I hope this decision boosts his spirit to improve.

"Although Shereen was not selected, I hope she continues to excel. She will undoubtedly make a greater name for herself," he said.

Both athletes, who are based in the United States, are national record holders. Muhammad Azeem holds the national record for the men's 100m with a time of 10.09s, while Shereen holds the record for the women's 400m (51.79s).

With this decision, the Malaysian contingent now comprises 26 athletes who will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics from July 26 to Aug 11. - BERNAMA