Malaysia’s Sprinter Azreen Nabila Still Prioritises Studies While Preparing For Tokyo Olympics

By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 (Bernama) -- Education remains the priority of the country's young Malaysian sprinter Azreen Nabila Alias ​​as she prepares for her debut at the Tokyo Olympics this month. While other athletes may be fully focused on the Olympics, Azreen Nabila, who got a "wild card" ticket to Tokyo, is now dividing her time between lessons and training sessions as she will be sitting for her university final exam of the second semester from July 11 to 21. The Universiti Putra Malaysia Bachelor of Communication student has to make full use of the 24 hours in a day to study her six subjects while also achieving the objectives of training sessions. The 21-year-old, who will compete in the women's 100 metres sprint in Tokyo, does not consider studying and training a burden. She refuses to put undue pressure on herself so that she can give her best at the Games. "Now, I am very busy because the final exam is approaching, and I have to train and also attend classes. But that does not affect the preparations for Tokyo because I am always fully focused during the training sessions," she told Bernama. "... and at the moment, I also don't want to think too much about the (Olympic) competition, if I think too much it will put pressure on me," said Azreen Nabila, who is scheduled to leave for Tokyo on July 25. The athlete, who holds a best personal record of 11.81 seconds achieved at the 2018 Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Perak, qualified for Tokyo after becoming the athlete of choice of the Malaysian Athletics Federation which was given a "wild card" ticket. Azreen Nabila's best time this season was 12.00s which she did in April, beating big names including S. Komalam Shally from Perak and Johor's Siti Fatimah Mohamad to clinch the 100m sprint gold at the Malaysian Grand Prix Championship. Based on her record and the lack of competitive meets as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Azreen Nabila admitted that she needs to have a realistic target when competing against the top sprinters in the world in Tokyo. "Breaking the national record? I just want to do my best. My main goal, along with the coach, is to improve on my personal best. I really intend to improve on the previous record of 11.81 seconds," said Azreen Nabila, who was named the Best Sportswoman at Sukma 2018 The 100m sprint national record is held by former national sprint queen G. Shanti who set a time of 11.50s at the 1993 SEA Pre-Games in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, Azreen Nabila, who is the seventh of eight siblings, aims to lose weight of up to three kilogrammes (kg) before leaving to help her achieve peak performance in Tokyo. With time running out, the athlete who weighs 54kg hopes to achieve her ideal weight through reducing her food intake. "I can't double my training or do something outside of the programme because it can jeopardise the preparations to the point of injury. I see that by controlling my diet alone, I can lose weight," she said. Meanwhile, she admitted that she was surprised that she was chosen to fill the "wild card" slot for the Tokyo Olympics, but saw it as a blessing and an answer to the prayers of her mother and late father who were the most important individuals in her quest to becoming an athlete. In fact, Azreen Nabila admitted that her decision to continue her studies at the pre-university level at the Bukit Jalil Sports School some time ago as fulfilling the wishes of her late father who wanted her to receive the best in her career. "I do not regret following the requests of my mother and late father because it is their words (of encouragement) that have brought me to the present level, I can participate in the Olympics. If I did not heed their wishes, I may not be here (at this platform)," she added. AZREEN NABILA'S PROFILE: Full name: Azreen Nabila Alias Date of birth: June 29, 2000 (21 years old) Place of birth: Kuala Terengganu Hobbies: Listening to songs and watching movies Ambition: Businesswoman Family: Seventh of eight siblings Best time: 11.81 seconds Shoe brand: Asics Idol: Allyson Felix (United States) International appearances: 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines -- BERNAMA