PETALING JAYA, Dec 8 — National sensational sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi will be heading to the United States with the spirit and mentality of a champion to ensure he remains focused and perseveres to achieve his mission during his four years in the country.

The 18-year-old sprinter from Perak who will be leaving for the US on January 1 to pursue further studies at Auburn University, Alabama wants to ensure that the sacrifices of his youth days to make a name for himself in the athletics arena, including travelling to the US, are worth it.

"I don't think it's a problem because the university has also promised to take care of my welfare while in the US, in addition to possibly being given the opportunity to return home once a year for a period of one month.

"This year I have made many sacrifices such as not celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha with family members, so I want to make sure that all these sacrifices are worth it. Maybe there will be some obstacles there (US) but my desire to be a champion is bigger,” he said.

He told this to reporters after the announcement of the list of national athletes nominated in the Top 5 Sports Icon Award (AIS) category at a hotel here yesterday.

In the meantime, Muhammad Azeem said he was satisfied and proud of his achievements in shouldering Malaysia's challenge when participating in domestic and foreign meets, but did not want to feel comfortable in his current position.

"I am satisfied with this year's season and am looking forward to next year. InsyaAllah (God willing), I will try my best to be the first Malaysian to run below 10 second (s) and qualify for the Olympic Games 100 metres (m) sprint.

"Four years there is not long for me because I have my own targets. My first target is to qualify for the World Championship to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, but I need to make sure I run under 10s,” he said.

The former student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat in Ipoh achieved a 6A result in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. He finished in fifth place in the 100m sprint at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia last August.

Not only that, he broke the 100m national record with a time of 10.09 seconds (s) (in the heats) in Cali, erasing the old record of 10.18s set by compatriot and former Southeast Asian sprint champion Khairul Hafiz Jantan. ― Bernama