KUALA LUMPUR: Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi has got off to a good start in the United States, breaking the national record in the men’s 60 metres (m) indoor sprint event at the 2023 Texas Tech Open meet, on Friday.
The 18-year-old, making his indoor debut for Auburn University, clocked 6.63 second(s) in the semifinals to finish third, breaking a nearly 24-year-old national record.
The national record was previously held by 1998 Asian Championships silver medallist Watson Nyambek who clocked 6.66s at the 1999 World Championships in Maebashi, Japan.
Muhammad Azeem then showed consistency in the final with a run of 6.65s, to take second place, while Micah Williams (6.49s) representing the University of Oregon and Rodney Heath Jr. (6.67s) from Louisiana Tech University finished first and third respectively.
Earlier, in the heats, Muhammad Azeem recorded 6.72s to occupy the fifth fastest position.
Muhammad Azeem, who is also the national record holder in the 100m sprint with a time of 10.09s, arrived at Auburn University in Alabama on Jan 4, to further his studies while undergoing training there. - Bernama
