Kuala lumpur: Young national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi has decided to remain under the guidance of American coach Ken Harnden until the end of the season. Azeem, as he prefers to be called, stated he does not intend to change coaches mid-season to avoid disrupting his training programme.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azeem emphasized his commitment to coach Harnden to maintain the stability of his current training regimen. "My plan for this year is to stick with coach Ken until the end of the season. After that, we will decide whether to continue training with him or explore other options," Azeem shared during a press conference at the National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday. He expressed concern that changing coaches during a critical period with major competitions could negatively impact his training progress.
The decision comes in the wake of Malaysia Athletics (MA)'s appointment of South African Thabo Matebedi as the country's new sprint head coach, aimed at strengthening preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan and the 2027 SEA Games, which Malaysia will host. Azeem, who holds the national 100m record, has already mapped out his training programme with Harnden since last December.
"I am open to making changes in my career after this because I know that, at the end of the day, there is going to be a lot of changes for me to become a better sprinter," Azeem explained. He indicated that any potential changes in his coaching arrangement would be considered after the Asian Games scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Azeem, who has recently learned about Matebedi's training methods from an Auburn University teammate, described the appointment as "interesting" due to the similarities between Matebedi's methods and those of Harnden. "From what I heard, Matebedi's training methods are quite similar to Harnden's. It's interesting that we have appointed a world-class sprint coach from South Africa," he remarked.
During his time at Auburn University in the United States, Azeem's achievements have been noteworthy. He contributed to breaking the NCAA Championship Finals record with a time of 37.75 seconds in the 4x100m relay, secured a gold medal at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Track and Field Championships, and set the national indoor 200m record at 21.20 seconds. Azeem, who also won bronze in the men's 100m at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is set to compete in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the inaugural Asian Under-23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, from July 9-12.