Malaysian sprinter Azeem Fahmi received a boost ahead of his debut at the Paris Olympics when 150 Bukit Jalil Sports School students wished him good luck on July 25.
Azeem, who will fly to the French capital tomorrow, also received a card dedicated to the 26 Malaysian athletes from Malaysia Olympians Association (MOA) president Noraseela Khalid, wishing them good luck in their quest to win the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
“It is a dream come true to compete in the Olympics. Please pray for me when I am in Paris, so that I can bring honour to the country,” Azeem, the national 100m record holder with a time of 10.09 seconds, told the students.
“Please support me and the other athletes at the Olympics. I know there are many talented students in Bukit Jalil Sports School. I hope that one day, many of you will also qualify for the Olympics.”
Azeem was the guest of honour at MOA’s ‘Be The Next Olympian’ talk that featured several Olympians.
The 20-year-old Asian Games bronze medallist, received a wildcard to compete in Paris, after failing to meet the qualifying time of 10s. His season’s best time was 10.24s (wind-assisted) in a competition in the United States this year.
Azeem said he doesn’t mind being the underdog in Paris and added that the support of the BJSS students, his family, and his team, will give him strength.
The ‘Be The Next Olympian’ talk with the students also included a session with Sports Law Association of Malaysia (SLAM) president Sri Saguna Raj, who spoke about the Safe Sport Code and a special video message from Malaysia’s former sprint king, Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan.
Besides Noraseela, other past athletes who shared their experiences were Olympians Iman Gopinathan (hockey), Lee Hup Wei (high jump), Zaidatul Husniah Zulkifli (sprinter), Phee Jinq En (swimmer), and Asian Games gold medallist, Qabil Ambak Mahamad Fathil (equestrian).
“I tried many times to win a gold medal at the Asian Games but failed, until 2023 when I was 43,” said Qabil Ambak, who won the individual dressage gold medal in Hangzhou, China.
“I had many failures but they were lessons on how to improve. We can all learn from defeats. Never give up.”
Also sharing that belief was Gopinathan, who shared how he nearly didn’t get to compete at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“I was not picked for a warm-up tournament before the Olympics. I was disappointed but didn’t let it get to me,” said Gopinathan.
“I buckled down and trained even harder. Luckily, when it came time to make the final selection, I was among those who went to Sydney.
“In sports, there will be joy and pain. Like Qabil, I never allowed the negatives to hold me down. That is something I want all of you students to remember – always work hard to achieve your goal, and never give up,” he added.
