KUALA LUMPUR: Sports legend Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan hopes that national runners Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi and Shereen Samson Vallabouy will continue to "sprint" towards qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics in July.
He said they have no choice but to give it their best shot, as the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) had mentioned that only one Malaysian athlete could compete in Paris as a wildcard entry.
"I hope Azeem and Shereen, who have this last-minute opportunity to qualify and participate in the Olympics, will seize it. I believe they are both talented and it would certainly add value if they can join the Olympics.
"There are a few more competitions to participate in, so that's the only chance they have. They need to prove their capabilities to the fullest if they want to get there (Paris)," he said when met by Bernama at the ''Jom Jalan'' programme with the National Press Club (NPC) here today (June 2).
The MAF has confirmed that the two national sprinters are on MAF's list to be given a wildcard slot to represent Malaysia in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
MAF's selection committee needs to submit one of their names to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) by July 8 if both athletes cannot qualify on merit.
Muhammad Azeem, the national 100m record holder with a time of 10.09s, has a season's best of only 10.24s, which he recorded at the LSU Invitational Athletics Championships in Los Angeles on April 27.
However, this time is still far from the Paris 100m qualifying mark of 10s.
Shereen, the national women's 400m record holder at 51.80s, needs to clock at least 50.95s to qualify for the Olympics. — BERNAMA
TAGS: athletics, M. Jegathesan, Shereen Samson, Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi