Fresh from Aichi-Nagoya, national sprint star Azeem Fahmi has joined MILO® Malaysia as its newest sports ambassador, alongside squash champion Sivasangari Subramaniam, who enters her third year in the role. Together, they aim to turn lessons from elite competition into inspiration for young Malaysians.
Their appointments come at significant points in their careers. Azeem Fahmi, Malaysia’s national 100-metre record holder, continues his rise as one of the country’s leading sprint talents. Sivasangari, meanwhile, returns from Aichi-Nagoya having successfully defended her women’s singles gold, with another historic milestone ahead as the first Malaysian female squash player to qualify for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.
A Full-Circle Moment with MILO
Even as their sights remain firmly on what comes next, their roles with MILO also take them back to where their journeys began. Long before national records and international podiums, both were young athletes learning their sports, with MILO already a familiar presence in those early sporting experiences. Today, they have the chance to pass on the lessons that shaped them to young Malaysians standing where they once stood.
“Young people often see the record, the medal or the moment an athlete stands on the podium, but not always the years of hard work, challenges and perseverance behind it. What excites us is what Azeem and Sivasangari’s journeys could unlock in the young people watching them, a child seeing Azeem race today may decide to try athletics tomorrow, while someone watching Sivasangari compete at Los Angeles 2028 may pick up a squash racquet for the first time.”
Lim Kerwin, Head of Sports Marketing, MILO® Malaysia
Lim added that seeing both athletes pass on what they have learned “feels like a meaningful full-circle moment, one that we hope will inspire the next generation of young Malaysians to discover what they, too, can achieve through sport.”
Azeem Fahmi Is Chasing the Next Milestone
For 22-year-old Azeem Fahmi, becoming a MILO sports ambassador brings his journey full circle. From discovering athletics at a young age to becoming the fastest Malaysian in history over 100 metres, he has learned that progress at the highest level is rarely linear.
“MILO® has been part of my athletics journey since I was young, so coming back today as a sports ambassador is very meaningful to me. I know what it feels like to be a young athlete trying to improve and wondering how far you can go.”
Azeem Fahmi
His message to young athletes is simple. “As you progress in sport, you realise that not every race will go the way you want it to. What matters is how you respond, what you learn and whether you are willing to keep coming back to put in the work. Keep showing up, keep learning and give yourself the chance to see how far you can go,” said Azeem Fahmi.
Sivasangari: From Junior Squash to an Olympic First
For Sivasangari, the road ahead leads to a stage that did not exist when she first picked up a squash racquet at eight: the Olympic Games. More than two decades after competing in junior tournaments where MILO was already a familiar presence, she is now looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028, where squash will make its Olympic debut, while continuing her pursuit of a place among the world’s top three.
“When I started playing squash at eight, I could never have known exactly where the sport would eventually take me. Today, I get to meet young athletes who are standing where I once stood, at the beginning of their own journey.
Sport has given me so much more than results. It has taught me how to deal with difficult moments, how to start again when things do not go according to plan and how to believe in myself. You never know where that first step might eventually take you.”
Sivasangari Subramaniam
Inspiring Malaysia’s Next Generation Through Sport
The appointments of Azeem Fahmi and Sivasangari build on MILO Malaysia’s longstanding commitment to grassroots sport, creating opportunities for young Malaysians to get active, experience competition and discover what sport can bring to their lives.
Not every young Malaysian who starts a sport will wear the national colours. But every national athlete once had a first race, a first match or a first opportunity to try. For Azeem and Sivasangari, the next chapter is about helping more young Malaysians begin their own.
