Muhammad Azeem Excited For Purple Track Debut At Paris Olympics

SEPANG, July 28 (Bernama) -- The new purple track making its debut at the Olympic Games has sparked excitement in national sprint ace Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi as he aims to deliver a powerful performance at the iconic Stade de France in Paris.

Muhammad Azeem hopes that the new track at the 80,000-capacity stadium will help him achieve positive results in his maiden appearance at the prestigious global sports event.

“It’s going to be comfortable to run on a new track, like playing on a new field or court. It’s quite interesting, motivating, and exciting to run. Hopefully, it will result in positive times,” he said.

The 20-year-old athlete was speaking to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1, here, before departing for Paris today.

Athletics competitions at the Olympics have traditionally used a ‘terracotta’ track. The purple track at Stade de France is produced by an Italian company and is said to be more environmentally friendly than its predecessors.

Meanwhile, the national men’s 100 metres (m) record holder with a time of 10.09 seconds (s) said he would keep in mind his family's advice to stay calm in Paris.

“My family advised me to do my best and have fun because they know I can run my best if I stay relaxed and don’t overthink,” he said.

Earlier this month, the bronze medallist in the men’s 100m at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games was selected by the Malaysian Athletics Federation (KOM) to fill a wildcard slot for the blue-ribbon event at the Olympics.

The athletics competition at Paris 2024 will take place from Aug 1 to 11.

The 2024 Olympics, which began on Friday (July 26), will conclude on Aug 11.

-- BERNAMA