Kuala lumpur: National sprint head coach Thabo Matebedi believes Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi is on course to defend his men's 100 metres (m) bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, although he feels a sub-10-second timing remains beyond the Malaysian sprinter for now.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Matebedi said Muhammad Azeem, who clocked 10.11 seconds (s) to win bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and who holds the national men's 100m record of 10.09s, has shown excellent physical form in training ahead of this year's Asiad.

"There is a great chance for Muhammad Azeem to retain his bronze medal. He just needs, on that day, to rise at the competition mentally. I think he hasn't mentally got himself where he's supposed to be. But physically what I'm seeing at training is 10 out of 10.

"(Sub 10?) In the next coming eight months, I think so. In the Asian Games? I will be honest. It's not realistic. Why? If you were to look at his personal best, and the fact that he has been away from his former coach, a new coach has come in and he's still following what coach Ken Harnden has done in America... it's difficult to connect the two training systems," he said when met at Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Matebedi said he had opted against making drastic changes to Azeem's existing training programme, stressing that he did not want to risk injury by altering a system whose foundation he was not fully familiar with.

With Azeem's physical condition already showing positive signs, Matebedi stressed that the sprinter's mental preparation could ultimately prove decisive when he lines up against Asia's best.

"So right now, Muhammad Azeem is in good shape physically. But the Asian Games is a different ball game. You need to step up. Physicality doesn't mean anything. You also have to be at the top of your game in terms of your mindset.

"The difference between a good athlete and a great athlete boils down to your mindset," said Matebedi.

On whether Muhammad Azeem can improve on his national record of 10.09s at the Asian Games, the coach said that would depend on several factors, particularly the conditions on race day.

Rather than placing additional pressure on Muhammad Azeem before the Asian Games, Matebedi said breaking the national record could be made a target after the Asiad as he prepares to sit down with the team to chart the sprinter's programme for next season.