A growing rivalry in the men’s 100-meter sprint emerged at the Asian Games as Malaysia’s Mohd Azeem Fahmi and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson both advanced to the semi-finals at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Thursday. The pair’s performances have heightened anticipation ahead of the final rounds.

Puripol registered the fastest time in the preliminary heats, posting an impressive 9.95 seconds to dip below the 10-second mark. His run was the quickest of the day, demonstrating his strong form ahead of the semis. Meanwhile, Azeem, the Malaysian national record holder with a best of 10.09 seconds, won his heat in 10.17 seconds, appearing composed and efficient throughout the race.

Azeem, 22, emphasized the need to maintain focus, noting that the competition involves multiple rounds. "It is good but there are two races to focus on, so have to keep going," he said following his heat victory.

Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis finished second in Azeem’s heat with a time of 10.33 seconds, while Taiwan’s Yang Chun-han secured third place at 10.38 seconds. Another Malaysian sprinter, Mohd Umaira Subri, achieved a personal best of 10.43 seconds, narrowly improving upon his previous record and securing the 19th fastest qualifying time among the 24 advancing athletes.

The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, with expectations high for both Azeem and Puripol to progress to the final and potentially renew their rivalry on a larger stage. Notably, both athletes have previous success at the Asian Games—Azeem earned bronze in Hangzhou in 2022, while Puripol claimed silver. China’s Xie Zhenye, the reigning Asian Games champion from Hangzhou, also qualified for the semi-finals and will be a key contender for the title.

In other athletics news, Malaysia’s Irfan Shamsuddin placed ninth in the discus throw final, recording a distance of 56.37 meters. As the track and field events continue, attention will remain on the sprint showdown among these leading competitors.