Category: Sports

CHENGDU, Five years ago, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) unveiled ‘Project 24’ which aimed among others to secure a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games and a Thomas Cup 2024 final slot.

Fast forward today, what unfolded at Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre here have seen disappointment in one of the objectives of ‘Project 24’.

On Saturday, Malaysia’s bid to end the 32-year drought of lifting the Thomas Cup ended in tatters after going down 1-3 to hosts China in the semi-finals.

The setback has raised questions whether ‘Project 24’ is capable of creating a formidable team that has the ability to be a world beater, as that was also one of its primary objectives.

While some may view that making the first semi-finals in Thomas Cup after eight years as a positive outcome, it is undeniable that Malaysia perhaps would be able to clinch Thomas Cup with a squad boasting more top-notch shuttlers.

One of the glaring weaknesses in the current squad is the lack of depth among men’s singles players as it
takes more than one player to win Thomas Cup.

Academy Badminton Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky even stated that it needs more than professional men’s singles shuttler, Lee Zii Jia, to beat China in the last four.

Zii Jia lost tamely to current world number two player, Shi Yu Qi, 19-21, 5-21.

Taking China’s squad as example, all of their men’s singles – Shi Yu Qi, Li Shi Feng and Lu Guang Zu – have equal strength while there is still gap between Zii Jia and other players fielded like Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Justin Hoh.

Even more worrying is that, Zii Jia is the only local shuttler with top 10 world ranking while Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) current top player, Ng Tze Yong, who was absence due to back injury ranked 18th followed by Jun Hao (37th), June Wei (63rd) and Justin (233rd).

As such, men’s singles players especially those under BAM need to buck-up if they aim to win more titles and help the country win the Thomas Cup.

As for Zii Jia, the question remained on whether h
e justified the ‘investment’ made by BAM given that the national body need to pay him every time he played here due to ‘image rights’.

The world number 10 had won three and lost two throughout the world’s most prestigious badminton team tournament here.

However, all three victories that the Kedahan recorded were against lower-ranked players while he was still struggling to overcome higher-ranked players including a straight set loss to world number one from Denmark Viktor Axelsen 16-21, 22-24, during the final Group D match.

His form in Chengdu would surely raise some doubts about his ability to secure a gold medal in 2024 Olympic Games.

In the meantime, there is still a room for improvement for two doubles – Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani – following their show in Thomas Cup 2024.

Although capable of fighting against world’s top 10 pair, Aaron-Wooi Yik, ranked fifth, still need to be more consistent ahead of Paris 2024 while Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin must know to deal with conve
rting crucial points to win the match.

Besides team performance, the team spirit was remarkable as they kept cheering loudly inside the venue to inspire their teammates until the last drop of sweat in the court.

Though Zii Jia opted not to join the the national team’s one-week training camp at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara before the Thomas Cup, but his commitment towards his teammates here was commendable and praised by Rexy.

In fact, Rexy said the 26-year-old was also the first to show up during the meeting session with psychologist Frederick Tan post semi-finals tie last Saturday.

Though it came as no surprise that the national women’s team crashed out early again from Uber Cup, but the manner in which some of national players performed was disappointing.

While It’s true that the mental strength is required to perform well but where’s the fighting spirit? Why did some players drop their head and threw in their towels so fast?

Ergo, BAM needs to adopt a radical approach in a bid to improve
the standard of national women’s camp.

This should include a strategic long-term plan to enhance the Malaysian women’s badminton, putting more effort to unearth new talents nationwide and nurturing them to reduce the gap between other world-class players.

Meanwhile, the hosts, China, unquestionably asserted their dominance in both the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2024.

China bagged their 11th Thomas Cup title by defeating Indonesia 3-1 and claimed their 16th Uber Cup title with 3-0 victory over Indonesia too on Sunday.

If this year’s results are any indication, it’s worth noting that China could conquer the 2024 Olympic Games and other players especially from Malaysians need to elevate their game to fend off strong challenge from them.

One of the tournament’s highlights was indeed the rise of Taiwan men’s squad as they smashed their way to the semi-finals for the first time by upsetting 2016 champions led by Axelsen, 3-1, in the quarter-finals.

In another development, former two-time men’s singles world c
hampion, Kento Momota of Japan made a low-key exit from the international scene without hitting a shuttlecock following his country’s 1-3 defeat to Malaysia, in the last eight.

Momota, who had harboured hopes of lifting his second Thomas Cup with Japan, decided to retire from international competition after a challenging period following a car crash on the Maju Expressway in Malaysia in early 2020.

Now that Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2024 have concluded, BAM can count on their shuttlers to pursue 2024 Olympic Games gold in Paris, which kicks off from July 26-Aug 11, ensuring that ‘Project 24’ is not deemed a failure.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, Defending champion Malaysia allowed Pakistan to come from behind and snatch a 5-4 victory in their opening Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium, here tonight.

Malaysia, leading 3-1 until the fourth quarter through a hattrick by Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal in the 13th, 28th and 45th minutes allowed Paksitan to stage a late fightback in dramatic style towards the final moments of the match, with the lead changing hands like a lightning strike.

Pakistan, winners of the cup in (1998, 2000, 2003), stunned the local fans in the ninth minute when Muhammed Sufyan Khan’s powerful strike from a penalty corner left goalkeeper Muhammad Hafizuddin Othman with no chance.

Malaysia, known as the Speedy Tigers, quickly bounced back and Muhammad Azrai Aizad turned in a pass from Faizal Saari in the 13th minute to bring cheers to about 4,000 fans who had filled the stadium.

Muhammad Azrai Aizad, 24, later finished off two penalty corners in the 28th and 45th minutes to complete his hattrick
and give Malaysia a 3-1 lead, bringing a big smile to coach Sarjit Singh.

Pakistan coach Roelant Oltmans, who had only a week to prepare his boys, saw his charges reduce the deficit through Muhammed Sufyan in the 50th minute while Zikiriya Hayat’s goal three minutes later levelled the score at 3-3.

With three minutes remaining, Shello Silverius cut through the Pakistan defence in a solo run and slipped the ball pass the onrushing goalkeeper to put Malaysia 4-3 up but a lapse in concentration in defence saw Muhammed Sufyan levelling the score at 4-4 through a penalty corner strike.

As the match was heading for a draw, the umpire awarded Pakistan a penalty stroke in the final minute of play and Abu Bakar Mahmood stepped up to place the ball past the goalkeeper to ensure all three points for the Green Shirts.

Wrapping up today’s performance, Sarjit said the players lost focus and followed the rythm of the fans in the last five minutes and that proved costly for the team.

‘We had a chance to win when leading
4-3 with three minutes to go, but two silly errors (caused the defeat). Then in the last 30 seconds had a chance but choose to follow into the centre, and they countered.

‘We need to control the match, no need to hurry as we had time on our side today. But it is ok, we did the mistake today, we have a long way to go, hopefully we learn from this and keep on improving,’ said Sarjit who was named as the National coach in March.

Malaysia face Canada tomorrow while Pakistan take on South Korea.

The Speedy Tigers who were runnerup fives times before won the title for the first time in 2022.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian towerrunner Soh Wai Ching emerged as the World Champion in the 2024 Towerrunning World Championships after conquering the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, today.

The 30-year-old, who previously finished third in his debut in the 2018 edition, claimed the title with the overall time of 18 minutes and 36.62 seconds in the championship that attracted 6,000 participants internationally from over 40 countries, after the biennial tournament was postponed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wai Ching completed the first round of full 91 floors (390m elevation gain) in 11:35.61s, while he took 7:1.01s to climb 59 floors (256m elevation gain) in the second round.

Japan’s Ryoji Watanabe (18:40.04s) and Australian Mark Bourne (9:33.12) finished second and third, respectively, according to the tournament’s official website.

Malaysia Towerrunning Association (MTA) President Ravinder Singh in a statement said, Malaysia has achieved a significant milestone in the sport after Wai Ching crowned himself
as the new World Champion.

‘Journey to the top has been a testament to his dedication and consistency, having been at the peak of his game since 2020. After four years of maintaining his high performance, he has earned the ultimate towerrunning accolade,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Towerrunning World Association President Daniel Cecetka expressed openness to the idea of Malaysia hosting the next World Championship in 2026.

‘Kuala Lumpur, with its impressive skyline and ranking as the seventh city with the most buildings over 300 meters, could serve as an ideal location for larger towerrunning events. This prospect holds great promise for the continued growth and popularity of the sport in Malaysia,’ he was quoted as saying in the same statement.

Results of the other Malaysians:

Men:

11. Muhammad Hazim Zuhairi bin Azahari – 21:43.78s

16. Saddam Pittli – 23:32.33s

43. Ravinder Singh – 50:08.02s

Women:

7. Tan Bee Kiang – 26:35.07

10. Nurul Juliana Shakira Abdul Halim – 27:38.40s

21. Valerie Sarah Ong 32:26.
25z

26. Chan Yee Chin – 37:25.75s

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

CHENGDU, China lived up to expectations as they bagged their 11th Thomas Cup titles by defeating 14-time champions, Indonesia, 3-1, in this edition’s final at the Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre, here, today.

This came just hours after China claimed their 16th Uber Cup title as they blew Indonesia away, 3-0, at the same venue.

World number two men’s singles shuttler, Shi Yu Qi drew first blood as he thumped Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 21-17 in the first set, and was a class above the Indonesian in the second, marching to a 21-6 victory.

Buoyed by a convincing start from Yu Qi, world number one pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang came out tops in a challenging 64-minute contest against 2024 All England champions Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto, 21-18, 17-21, 21-17 to bolster the hosts’ lead.

However, Indonesia reduced the deficit as the in-form Jonatan Christie triumphed in a rigorous battle against the 2022 Asian Games men’s singles champion, Li Shi Feng, 21-16, 15-21, 21-17, to rekindle hope for his c
ountry.

Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana took to the court against He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu in the second doubles hoping to beat the China pair and take the tie into a decider.

The Indonesians, however, fell short as the China pair won 21-11, 21-15, much to the delight of the packed partisan home crowd.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ji Ting said he was delighted to do his part in bringing the coveted Cup back to China after they last won it in 2018 in Bangkok.

Yu Qi, meanwhile, said he did not expect to win quite comfortably against Ginting in the opening match.

‘The first game was challenging and I did not play as well as I hoped to. However, the support from the home fans and encouragement from my teammates boosted my confidence after I won the first game,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Bagas, who was frustrated at not being able to win the fourth match and force the decider, vowed to come back stronger in the future.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA BHARU, Kelantan Darul Naim FC (KDNFC) has condemned the recent attacks on national footballers in the country by unknown individuals or groups.

The football club issued a statement tonight stating that the recent incidents involving two national footballers were irresponsible acts that needed to be stopped immediately.

“Footballers and any sports athlete are the country’s assets and need to be protected as they are the ones who are bringing glory to the country in every championship or sporting event they participate in.

“Therefore, KDNFC hopes that the authorities will conduct detailed investigations and take stern action on those responsible so that such incidents do not happen to other footballers or sports athletes in the future,’ the club said.

The club also expressed hope that both injured players will recover soon to play for their respective teams in the upcoming Malaysia League.

Footballer Akhyar Rashid sustained injuries to his head and feet after being mugged by two assailants on Thursda
y while Selangor FC winger Faisal Halim was splashed with acid at a shopping mall in the Klang Valley earlier today.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

BUKIT MERTAJAM, The opening match of the Super League against Sabah FC on May 12 will be the first opportunity to test the true capabilities of Penang FC’s new import player, Neto Oliveira, who has yet to showcase his full potential.

Penang FC head coach Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli said that the 26-year-old Brazilian is likely to be in the starting lineup, but the team is still monitoring his performance and fitness level since he has only been training with the team for a week.

However, Akmal is confident that Oliveira, given his experience with several professional clubs in Brazil’s league, including Santos FC, will quickly adapt to the team, with support from three other import players namely Rodrigo Dias, Rafael Vitor, and Richmond Ankrah, who is on loan from Selangor FC.

“Rafael Vitor, Richmond, and also (Rodrigo) Dias have been with the team for over a month, so they are already in sync with each other, but Neto (Oliveira) has only joined for a week. He may need some time to adapt and understand what t
he team wants to achieve in the game,” he said.

Akmal was speaking to reporters after the launch of the Penang FC 2024/2025 jerseys, officiated by the Penang Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman, Daniel Gooi, here today.

According to him, the addition of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player Mohamed Syamer Kutty Abba, who has joined the team on loan this season, has had a significant impact on the entire Panthers squad.

“His experience at JDT and with the national team has been brought into the team. Additionally, his teammates are more confident with Syamer Kutty in midfield, which helps the team greatly, especially when defending and attacking,” he said.

Oliveira joined the Panthers on April 27 after honing his skills as an attacking midfielder, playing for Flamengo FC, Sao Jose FC, Gremio Osasco FC, and Portuguesa Santista FC. Mohamed Syamer, a Penang native who previously wore the Panthers jersey in 2016 and 2017 before joining JDT in 2018, returned to Penang FC on April 12.

For the record, last sea
son, Penang FC finished 10th in the Super League, reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, and advanced to the semifinals of the Challenge Cup.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, Japan continued their giant-killing act in the 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament when they stunned favourites and two-time champions New Zealand 4-1 at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium here today.

The world number 16 Samurai Warriors, who upset South Korea 2-1 in the opening match yesterday, were sharp and organised as they dominated the game to notch their first win over the Kiwis in their fifth attempt since 2019.

Japan, who are gunning for their maiden title in their sixth appearance, took the lead through Naru Kimura’s 13th-minute deflected shot before Reiki Fujishima doubled their lead from a penalty corner 10 minutes later.

Hitman Tsubasa Tanaka, 20, who scored in his international debut yesterday, then made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute to clinch the Man of the Match award before Ken Nagayoshi converted a penalty corner in the 60th minute.

World number 10 New Zealand, who hammered Canada 7-1 yesterday, scored a consolation goal through a Scott Cosslett penalty corner in the 55th minute.

J
apan head coach Yoshihiro Anai attributed his team’s victory to his men sticking to their game plan and staying well-organised throughout the match.

‘New Zealand are much stronger physically and mentally, but we were well-organised and it paid off. We focused on defence to function well.

‘When they opted for power-play (replacing the goalkeeper with another outfield player) and switched to aggressive attacking, we focused on organised play, counter-attacking and making better vertical passes and teamwork,’ the Olympian said at the press conference.

New Zealand head coach Greg Nicol said although his men did well, they were rusty and unable to convert their chances.

‘We played pretty well between these two circles, but not well in the circle. When you have 37 circle penetrations and one penalty corner, that didn’t really test the goalkeeper, (then) it is something that we are going to work on,’ he said as he admitted that the hot and humid weather also took a toll on his charges.

Tomorrow is a rest day an
d on Tuesday (May 7), New Zealand will take on hosts Malaysia while Japan will face Pakistan.

Three-time champions Pakistan also secured a second straight victory by beating South Korea 4-0, after edging Malaysia 5-4 yesterday.

Goals from Hannan Shahid (3′), Liagat Arshad (20′), Ghazanfar Ali (27′) and Muhammed Sufyan Khan (50′) helped Roelant Oltmans’ side collect three points to brighten their chances of qualifying for the final.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency