PETALING JAYA: National sprint ace Mohd Azeem Fahmi came within a blink of qualifying for the Tigers Paws Invitational 60m final, and while the margin was agonisingly slim, the Malaysian speedster is choosing perspective over disappointment.
Azeem clocked 6.65 seconds in the semi-finals to finish ninth overall, missing out on the eight-man final by just 0.02s behind Mississippi State University’s Adekalu Fakorede at the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Complex in Clemson, North Carolina, on Saturday (Feb 14).
Only the top eight advanced, leaving Azeem one spot short of the title race.
"6.65 isn’t bad, but it’s not enough," said the 21-year-old.
He had earlier shown promising form in the heats, placing 13th out of 42 sprinters with a time of 6.70s to comfortably secure a semi-final berth. Only the top 24 progressed, and Azeem looked composed navigating the rounds.
But in a field stacked with elite collegiate sprinters, the finest of margins proved decisive.
"Everything was under control. I just recovered from a fever last week, so it might take some time to get everything back together," he said.
Despite narrowly missing the final, Azeem remains focused on the bigger picture.
With the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships just two weeks away, the Tigers Paws meet serves as a timely gauge of his progress.
"There’s no pressure at the moment. I just want to execute better for the SEC in two weeks," he said.
"Whatever happened during this indoor season will be good preparation for the outdoor season either way."
It was at last year’s SEC that Azeem broke the national 60m indoor record with a time of 6.56s.
Earlier this month, he clocked 21.50s in the 200m at the Bob Pollock Invitational in Clemson to erase the previous national indoor mark of 22.86s set by Timothy Tan at the 2019 Manchester Indoor Meet.
Azeem also holds the national 100m record of 10.09s, set at the World Junior Championships in 2022, and is determined to become the first Malaysian to dip below the 10-second barrier.
Competing in the ultra-competitive American collegiate circuit has sharpened his race management and mental resilience.
The indoor 60m, often decided by reaction time and the drive phase, offers little margin for error, an area he continues to refine.
Missing the final by 0.02s could unsettle many athletes, but Azeem remains unfazed.
"God’s plan. Patience," he said.
With the SEC Championships looming, his focus now turns to fine-tuning his start, regaining full fitness and converting strong performances into podium finishes.
For Azeem, 6.65s is proof he is within striking distance, the next step is making it count.
