INTERACTIVE: Malaysia's quest to break the 10-second 100m sprint barrier

PETALING JAYA: Completing a 100m race under 10 seconds is traditionally considered the hallmark of a world-class sprinter.

The 10-second barrier is regarded as a physical and psychological obstacle that only topflight sprinters can break.

At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, American Jim Hines became the first runner to officially run a 'sub-10' when he clocked a time of 9.95s.

According to statistics from World Athletics – the international governing body for the sport of athletics – 168 other runners have since managed to do the century sprint below the 10-second mark.

Jad Adrian Washif, a sports scientist with the National Sports Institute, said the achievement is still significant, especially in South-East Asia.

“Only a few Asian sprinters have managed to do it and none from Asean have been able to achieve it so far,” said Jad.

The possibility that a Malaysian could soon break the barrier was opened up recently when Mohd Azeem Fahmi set a new 100m national record of 10.09s.

His feat is the latest milestone in a journey dating back decades, during which Malaysia’s 100m sprinters have gradually inched closer towards the 10-second mark.

To show how our 100m times have improved, we put some of the best sprinters Malaysia has produced over the years in a virtual race, with each person running their fastest official times:

Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan

Malaysian track legend and medical doctor Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan competed in three consecutive Olympic Games, namely Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964) and Mexico (1968).

His 1966 time of 10.49 for the 100m would go unbeaten by any Malaysian for 29 years.

In the 200m event, Dr Jegathesan qualified for two semi-finals at the Olympics. His personal best time of 20.92, set in 1968 at the Mexico Olympics, stood unchallenged for 49 years in Malaysia until 2017.

During his heyday in the 1960s Dr Jegathesan, who was dubbed 'The Flying Doctor', was regarded as the fastest man in Asia.

After his track retirement, he would go on to become a renowned doctor, researcher and sports administrator.

Azmi Ibrahim

In 1994, Azmi Ibrahim ran a 10.48s at the World Junior Championships in Athletics held in Lisbon, Portugal, beating Dr Jegathesan’s 1966 time of 10.49s.

Azmi would also go on to improve even further, recording 10.38s in 1995.

His track career is also remembered for his professional rivalry with another top sprinter, Watson Nyambek.

Watson Nyambek

In 1994, Watson Nyambek became the fastest schoolboy in South-East Asia when he won the 100m gold and silver for the 200m and 4x100m at the Asean Schools Championships in Singapore.

The native of Miri, Sarawak, ran a 10.46s in 1995 before improving even further to 10.30s in 1998.

Dubbed 'The Flying Dayak', Watson became the first Malaysian athlete to enter the semi-finals of the World Indoor Championships in 1999 with a time of 6.66s in the 60m event held in Seville, Spain.

Khairul Hafiz Jantan

Khairul Hafiz Jantan broke the 100m national record in 2016 with a time of 10.18s at the 2016 Sukma Games.

In 2017, he broke Dr Jegathesan’s 49-year-old 200m record by clocking in 20.90s at the Malaysian Open Athletics Championships.

He also became the fastest man in South-East Asia that year when he won gold for the 100m at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

Mohd Azeem Fahmi

The 18-year-old from Perak smashed the national record for the 100m last month.

He finished first in Heat 8 with a time of 10.09s at the World Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia.

Azeem went on to win a gold at the Malaysia Games earlier this month with a time of 10.25s.

Jad said that Azeem has what it takes in terms of his physiology, technique and ability.

Age is another advantage for Azeem, and Jad said that with the right coaching and exposure, he will be able to go faster.

“At present there is definitely a high possibility that Azeem will be able to break the 10-second barrier, but he will need a plan to make it happen.

“With intelligent use of sports science and resources, it is not that difficult for Azeem to shave off another 0.09 seconds in order to hit the 10 second mark or to even go faster,” he said.

In Asean, the race for 100m sub-10 glory is wide open

Within South-East Asia, Jad said that 100m times have been falling notably due to advancements in coaching and sports science applications.

Other regional sprinters to look out for include Indonesia’s Lalu Muhammad Zohri and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson.

The 22-year-old Indonesian recorded 10.03s at the Seiko Golden Gran Prix in Osaka, Japan in 2019.

The 16-year-old Thai meanwhile equalled Azeem’s 10.09s time at last month’s World Junior Championships – the same event where Azeem created his national record.