SUKMA 2024: Danish Aims To Set Records And Emerge From Azeem's Shadows

By Nur Afiradina Arshad

IPOH, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Sprinter Muhamad Danish Akmal Abdul Kadir, 17, is being hailed as the next big talent in Perak following the success of national sprinting champion Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, who represented Malaysia at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

However, Danish said he wants to establish his own identity in the 100-metre event, starting with the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Kuching this month.

“In the past, I’ve sought Azeem’s advice, and he told me to train and plan my own needs and training methods naturally, as following his way might not work for me,” said Danish, who is making his SUKMA debut.

“He is my inspiration in athletics. He once told me, ‘Keep moving, don’t look back, and don’t think about others,’” he said when met by Bernama at the Perak SUKMA 2024 contingent flag handover ceremony.

Danish said he and Azeem studied at the same school, the Malaysian Sports School in Bukit Jalil, and the national sprinter has been a senior who has given him a lot of encouragement and guidance in pursuing athletics.

“For example, running the 200 metres is quite challenging because it’s not about sprinting all the way; you need to know the technique as well. That’s why he didn’t encourage me to learn directly from him. What I do as additional training is watch running videos on YouTube and other platforms.

“So far, the preparation for SUKMA isn’t about training every day. Based on discussions with my coach, we planned several training programmes that can strengthen my mental and physical endurance to avoid any negative impact during the SUKMA championship later,” he said.

He said his best time recorded in training was 10.80s but his personal goal is to run 10.50s or below.

He admitted that there were stronger runners from other states but pledged to give his best for Perak.

Danish, who will also run in the 200 metres, said he is now conducting lighter training to avoid injuries while maintaining performance.

Perak sprint coach Gokulavanan N. Krishnan said Danish has been impressive so far, having clocked 10.8s in three recent championships.

“He had an injury last year, but now he has fully recovered and improved his performance. Previously, the top-ranked sprinter in Perak was Azeem, and now with Azeem gone, Danish is the top.

“There are no issues with Danish’s performance in facing SUKMA. He is on track to achieve a time of 10.81s and is expected to be among the top eight in the championship,” he said.

-- BERNAMA