In Malaysia, we too have our very own ‘Usain Bolt’. Eighteen-year-old national sprinter, Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, who received his secondary education at a local sports school, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Gunung Rapat obtained 6As out of nine subjects in his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2021.
He was taken by surprise when he received the results as he was on a tight training schedule and participated in several tournaments during the examination week.
“I’m extremely grateful to have obtained such results and received success in the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games.
In the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games, Muhammad Azeem came in first in the 4x100m run.
“Maybe it was just an ordinary result for others, but it was a worthwhile effort with what I went through during the examination period. During the exam, I still went out to compete until the final paper of Economics.
“I’m proud to know that all the sacrifices and hard work have paid off,” he said to the media on Thursday.
Despite the busy schedule of training and competitions, the fourth child of five siblings said he did not lose focus on his studies. He starts his day before dawn, at 5.30am where time is allocated to study and training begins at 5.30pm in the evening after the extra class.
Azeem said his academic results have ignited his spirit to continue to strive for the best, in sports and academics. The 18-year-old, who has plans to further his studies in the United States said he will go through training to get scholarships from the colleges in the US.
“If everything goes well, I will go to the US in January to study and train. We have received offers from several colleges, however, we are yet to decide on which college to enrol in,” he said.
Gisele Soo
