Power: Azeem Fahmi makes his debut in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship season.
PETALING JAYA: Sprinter Azeem Fahmi is truly smashing it in the outdoor season.
The 19-year-old Azeem posted his season's best when he clocked 10.11s in the 100m heats to qualify for the final in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) at Louisiana State University on Saturday (May 13). It's his debut race in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship season.
The speed phenom finished second behind his Auburn University teammate Favour Ashe, who clocked a time of 10.06s, to make it a one-two finish for the varsity.
The time Azeem recorded in the SEC heats is better than the East Coast Relays at the University of South Florida, where he finished sixth with a time of 10.14s.
And he shared his delight on social media.
"It's 10.11s and into the final. Bismillah," he shared on his Twitter site yesterday.
He continues to show improvement in every competition and based on his form and determination, he could be well on his way to breaking his national record of 10.09s.
He set the time during the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia last year.
In his first outdoor race in April, Azeem won the 100m gold at the Florida State University (FSU) Relays with a time of 10.32s.
Azeem began the season by running three indoor 60m races in February.
He clocked 6.63s at the Texas Tech Open and Multis to break the national record of 6.66s set by Watson Nyambek at the 1999 World Championships; rewrote the record by clocking 6.62 to finish fifth in the Tiger Paw Invitational; and finished fourth with a time of 6.70s in Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships.
