Sprinter Azeem scorches Appalachian track
Azeem ran a blistering 10.01 seconds in the men's 100m heats in Boone, North Carolina.
The time was actually faster than Azeem's own national record of 10.09s, but it was not recognised because of a tailwind (plus 4.7). The 10.01 came close to the 10.00 qualifying mark for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
Azeem, representing Auburn University, won his heat, and two hours later, won the final with 10.09s (tailwind plus 3.7). Deonte Hardy of Coastal Carolina was second (10.41) and Armonte Ferguson was third (10.43).
Malaysia Athletics technical director John Ballard said: "Azeem ran fantastic times, but unfortunately they cannot be recognised as national records because of tailwinds.
"Azeem has shown tremendous progress under coach Ken Harnden. He has a very good chance of qualifying for the NCAA grand final next month in North Carolina.
"All his hard work in training is paying off and he has improved on his body strength. After clocking 10.01, he definitely will move up the world rankings.
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