Virginia: National sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi’s hopes of qualifying for the 60-metre final at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia, United States were dashed when he finished seventh in the second preliminary round heat on Friday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the 2024 Asian Games bronze medallist representing Auburn University finished the race with a time of 6.61 seconds, placing him 13th out of 16 competitors overall. Only the top eight competitors from the two heats will qualify for the final stage scheduled to take place on Saturday (Sunday, Malaysia time).

Earlier, the 20-year-old returned with his best performance when he broke the national 60m record with a time of 6.56 seconds, securing a bronze medal at the 2025 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this month. This new record surpassed his previous record of 6.60 seconds set less than a month ago at the Tiger Paw Invitational Championships at Clemson University, California, USA, placing him among the top 10 runners at Auburn University.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) technical director Robert Ballard, when contacted, said that Muhammad Azeem’s achievement of participating in a major championship like the NCAA is a positive indicator for the athlete’s future performances. ‘He did everything to make it to the NCAA championships finals. Running 6.61 seconds in a major event is a real positive sign for future things to come. Muhammad Azeem was just 5/100th outside the top eight for the final,’ he said.