PETALING JAYA; Sprinter Mohd Azeem Fahmi is determined to move past a painful chapter in his career after injury ruined his 100m final race in the Asian Games on Friday (Sept 25).
While the rest of the runners sped away from the starting blocks, Azeem slowed down just seconds into the race at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, before eventually collapsing on the track after crossing the line in 14.65s – the slowest finish in the field.
He was then assisted by the medical team as he limped out of the track.
A dejected Azeem, who won bronze at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, took to social media after the race to reflect on the setback.
"Things happen for a reason. That is one thing that I always hold on to," said the 22-year-old.
"The scariest thing in this sport is injury, and I believe none of the athletes want to go through that. I've been doing everything I could to make sure I end up where I wanted to be, but God has a better plan.
"It has been a long season – I've been running since January. Countless races, setbacks, reps, training and a lot more. But this is not the end.
"Thank you so much to my team, NSI (National Sports Institute) and everyone else who came straight to me right after the race finished. I'll get a further check-up and I'm hoping nothing is serious.
"For those who keep supporting me until today, I love you. For those who still doubt me, thank you."
Azeem's archrival Puripol Boonson of Thailand lived up to expectations by storming to gold in 9.90s – breaking the Games record for the second time in a matter of hours, having already lowered it to 9.91s in the semi-finals.
Oman enjoyed a strong showing too, with Ali Balushi taking silver in 10.04s and Malham Balushi claiming bronze in 10.11s.
