KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- National sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi broke the national indoor 60-metre record while competing at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson University in California yesterday.
The 21-year-old United States-based athlete clocked 6.60s in the semi-finals to qualify for the final, surpassing his national record of 6.62s set at the same championship two years ago while representing Auburn University.
Malaysia Athletics Federation (KOM) technical director Robert J. Ballard said that in the heats, Muhammad Azeem clocked 6.62s before improving his time in the semi-finals. However, he decided not to compete in the final to allow himself time to rest.
“Azeem didn't want to push his body too far as he felt that he needed to rest as he will be competing in another championship in Texas in two weeks' time. He had a lot of good runs, and he decided to call it a day after managing to beat the national record.
“We are happy with his performance, and we hope to see him breaking more records,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
The event was won by Adekalu Fakorede from Mississippi State University while Travis Williams of Southern California University was second.
"After two years, we are back on track. Alhamdulillah, a national record," Muhammad Azeem wrote in a post on his Instagram account yesterday.
He must rank among the top 16 to qualify for the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Championship final next month.
-- BERNAMA
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