KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's fastest man, Azeem Fahmi, needs to find back his rhythm before it's too late.
Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli said it is vital for the 100m specialist to get back into strides or else his his athletics career could be adversely affected.
"I'm surprised with Azeem's poor performance in Paris. He was not prepared for the Olympics judging from the way he ran.
"Azeem also does not have compact muscles like the other sprinters who might have the same body structure, but they run much faster."
According to Pekan, Malaysian Athletics Federation technical director, John Ballard, had said Azeem was ready for the Paris Olympics after undergoing all types of training, including bio mechanical training.
"What happened to Azeem's bio mechanical training? The way he raced in both the preliminary round (10.42) and the heat (10.45) clearly showed he was nowhere near his personal best of 10.09.
"Although Azeem went to the Olympics as a wild card, he should have at least run 10.20. Clocking 10.45 shows like he has been training in Malaysia instead of in America.
"Also, what happened to all his training at Auburn University in Alabama under his coach (Ken Harnden) since January last year?
"Azeem also told the media, when he was competing in the Asean University Games in Surabaya last month, that he was not too concerned whether he was going or not going to the Paris Olympics. It was not a good remark from him about the Olympics.
"He needs to overcome his weaknesses and ask himself why he's not performing to his true form.
"Azeem's performance in Paris was clearly not good for him. He needs to get back his rhythm fast, otherwise it could jeopardise his athletics career.
"I'm not sure how many years Azeem will be in the United States for his studies and training... maybe another two years but he needs to bounce back in competition next year," said Pekan.
The Asian Games bronze medallist has two missions next year - to qualify on merit for the World Championships in Tokyo from Sept 13-21 and do well at the Thailand Sea Games from Dec 7-19.