A baton exchange error costs Auburn University the NCAA 4x100m title despite a strong start from Muhammad Azeem Fahmi.
THE hopes of national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Fahmi and his Auburn University teammates to defend the NCAA Championship title in the United States were dashed when the quartet was disqualified for a baton exchange error in the men’s 4×100-metre final yesterday (early this morning Malaysian time).
According to a Facebook post by Malaysia Athletics, Azeem, as the first runner, was in excellent form as he overtook several challengers to put Auburn in third place early in the race.
Kanyinsola Ajayi and Austin Kresley then maintained Auburn’s momentum and thrust them into the lead, giving them a great chance to defend the title.
However, disaster struck when the third runner failed to hand the baton properly to the last runner, Tyler Davis, before falling, leaving the Auburn quartet to be disqualified.
Malaysia Athletics described the situation as one of the realities of sports, where a victory that seems within reach can slip away because of a small mistake.
“However, Azeem’s achievements throughout this season still make Malaysians proud. He has shown excellent performance on the NCAA stage and continues to bring glory to the country at the international level,” it said.
Azeem is scheduled to return home for the 2026 Malaysia Open Athletics Championships, which will be held from June 19-21.
