KUALA LUMPUR: Sprint coach Muhammad Amir Izwan Tan Abdullah is confident that Malaysia can produce more sprinters like Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi to be featured in various Games at national and international levels.
As such, Amir Izwan said efforts to produce talented sprinters like Azeem, who has created a sensation despite his young age, should not be stopped halfway, except if there is a need to intensify the programmes from time to time.
“If you ask me, there is no pressure. We only do what we can with the material we have. At the same time, we will strive to produce and find Azeem ‘No 2’,” he said in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, he said the process of producing or creating sprinters like Azeem should not have a specific time frame.
“No need to set a time frame. This must be continuously carried out by looking at existing talent and not setting a two or three-year target as we want this project to go on,” he said.
Commenting on whether the current batch of national sprinters has the fighting spirit to produce outstanding achievements like the 18-year-old Azeem, Amir Izwan said he believes that they all have almost the same mentality.
“As for the way they think, each has his way. The difference is how one taps into his mental capacity in training and competitions.
“Each athlete has different capabilities, so we may need more time, depending on whether they react swiftly or not,” he said.
Azeem’s name has been on everyone’s lips ever since he broke the national men’s 100-metre (m) record by clocking 10.09 seconds (s) at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia last August.
Azeem, who is furthering his studies and expanding his athletics career at Auburn University in Alabama, the United States (US), also broke the national 60m indoor record in February at the Tiger Paw Invitational, besides winning the 100m race at the Florida State University (FSU) Relays Championships in the US in March. – Bernama
