Athletics Union of Malaysia (KOM) has selected national sprint champion Muhammad Azeem Fahmi to receive a ‘wildcard’ ticket for the athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Today, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, KOM President announced the decision following a meeting of the KOM Athlete Selection Committee.
“With this, KOM had a meeting yesterday and decided that the 100m ‘wildcard’ was given to Muhammad Azeem Fahmi,” stated President Shahidan.
He emphasized the positive impact of this decision for young athletes and Malaysians, expressing hope for a brighter future regardless of the selection outcomes. Shahidan also highlighted that non-selected athletes still have numerous opportunities to excel in other prestigious events such as the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and SEA Games, with an eye towards the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The selection process had been closely watched, with speculation over whether the ‘wildcard’ would go to Azeem or 400m national record holder Shereen Samson Vallabouy, as both athletes did not qualify on merit for Paris.
Currently competing at the ASEAN University Games (AUG) 2024 in Surabaya-Malang, Azeem secured a silver medal with a time of 10.37 seconds, behind gold medalist Lalu Muhamad Zohri of Indonesia, who clocked 10.19 seconds. Meanwhile, Shereen continued to excel in the 400m event, winning a gold medal with a time of 53.71 seconds.
Credit Photo : Utusan
