Lohrheidestadion: National sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi failed to qualify for the men's 200-metre (m) final at the 2025 Rhine-Ruhr World University Games (WUG) in Lohrheidestadion here early Friday morning Malaysian time. The 21-year-old Auburn University student clocked 21.51 seconds (s), slower than his first-round time of 21.26s set yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, South Africa's Bayanda Walaza, who claimed the 100m title, maintained his strong performance by topping the heat with a time of 20.76s, followed by Adria Medero of Spain (20.77s) and Christopher Ius of Australia (20.85s).

Speaking to reporters after the race, Muhammad Azeem admitted to suffering from fatigue after competing over four consecutive days, including the 100m event. He expressed that his body isn't ready to handle two events in one meet, but sees this as good preparation for 2026 when he plans to compete in both the 100m and 200m.

Muhammad Azeem further shared that this was his first time competing in two events at a single meet since his school days, acknowledging the challenge. He mentioned that the 200m helps improve his 100m performance by enhancing his top-end speed, which is why he and his coach plan to focus on both events next year.

Muhammad Azeem's personal best for the 200m is 20.79s, set in April at a championship in Florida. This time is just 0.02s short of the national record held by Russel Alexander Nasir Taib. Next, Azeem will join the national 4x100m relay squad for the heats scheduled for early Saturday Malaysian time.

Meanwhile, the national mixed 4x400m team failed to secure a spot in the final, finishing last in their heat. In badminton, Malaysia's Eogene Ewe and Wong Ling Ching advanced to the singles quarter-finals after their victories in the round of 16. Eogene is set to face Ting Yen Chen of Taiwan, while Ling Ching will compete against India's Devika Sihag.