KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's fastest man's hopes of running in next month's Paris Olympics are fading.
Azeem Fahmi has dropped to 61st on the Olympic qualifying rankings in the men's 100m. Only the top 56 will make the cut for Paris.
The Asian Games bronze medallist holds the national record of 10.09 seconds, and the Olympic qualifying time is 10.00.
Azeem, studying at Auburn University, the United States, has not come close to his national record in competitions this year.
Azeem, who trains under coach Ken Harnden, did a season best of 10.24 (wind assisted) at the LSU Invitational Championships in Los Angeles in April.
The 20-year-old will fly back tomorrow and will compete in the Malaysian Open in Kuantan this weekend.
Malaysian Athletics Federation Technical Director John Ballard said Azeem needs to clock at least 10.20 in the Malaysian Open to improve his ranking to 56th.
He said Azeem, however, is not expected to face stiff competition in the Malaysian Open as there are no top sprinters from the 10 countries invited.
"If Azeem wins in Kuantan, he will get bonus points (for his ranking). He's in good form and in high spirits for the race.
"The track at Darul Makmur Stadium is a fast track, and I'm optimistic Azeem will clock a good time."
Azeem will also compete in the Kazakhstan Open in Almaty from June 23-24, which is his last competition to qualify for the Olympics.
If no Malaysians qualify on merit for athletics at the Olympics, one athlete from Malaysia will get a wild card.