Sports press clippings on the 31 July 2008

AFP Photo

A journalist works on a laptop computer during a Beijing 2008 Olympics press conference. The Beijing Olympics were plunged into another controversy on Wednesday as China announced a backflip on Internet freedoms for the thousands of foreign reporters covering the Games.

Nicol Clears First Hurdle

By Dan Guen Chin

SINGAPORE, July 30 (Bernama)-- Datuk Nicol David sailed through to the last eight of the Singapore Women's Squash Masters 2008 at the Kallang Squash Centre here Wednesday.

Victory over Egypt's Engy Kheirallah in scores of 11-5,6-11,11-6,11-5 earned the World No 1 her quarter-final place. She meets England's Jenny Duncalf, world ranked No 6, Thursday night to determine who among them advances to the last four.

All in all it was a victory which Nicol deserved even though her unranked Egyptian opponent took the second game and threatened to make a fight out of it in the third.

In the end the reigning No 1 ended the Egyptian's hopes and now there is Jenny to contend with.

"It's always difficult in the opening match and when you play somebody unranked, it's always very difficult. Engy had nothing to lose and she went for every stroke. For me it's always a relief to get past your first round opponent and from now on I know what to expect," said Nicol.

Jenny who beat Orla Noom of Holland, 11-7,11-10,11-3 Wednesday night, will draw inspiration from the victory of Isabelle Stoehr of France who knocked out the No 2 seed, Natalie Grinham of Holland, 5-11,11-9,11-8,4-11, 13-11.

"That was a surprise victory and hopefully I can get down on that road tomorrow. I have never beaten Nicol before and I know how difficult it will be. Nicol is so consistent and she is such a steady player. Obviously it will take a lot to beat her," said Jenny.

But it was sweet victory for Rachel Grinham, the younger sister of Natalie, the No 3 seed in the tournament.

She beat Alana Miller of Canada 11-2,11-6,11-6 to move into the last eight where she will meet Alison Waters of England Thursday.

Merdeka Endurance Race Draws 51 Entries So Far

PETALING JAYA, July 30 (Bernama) -- The gruelling 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance (MME) race has to date attracted 51 entries for its ninth edition scheduled for Aug 29 and 30.

"With the race exactly a month away, the response from the motor racing fraternity for this race is very encouraging. I am confident that the number would increase. Last year, we had 103 cars and 309 drivers registered.

"MME has clearly progressed to become Asias biggest race as we had aspired when we first mooted the idea of organising the 12-hour endurance race in 2000," said Sepang International Circuit general manager and event director Datuk Azmi Murad at at the MME official partners announcement and handover of the challenge trophies at Borneo Rainforest, Bandar Sunway, here Wednesday night.

At the function, Hong Leong Kencana Racing Team handed over the MME Challenge Trophy to symbolise that start of a one-month countdown of the event while Tek Kean Kang of Type R Racing Team handed over the Silverstone Challenge Trophy for Class B and C.

RTM is Host Broadcaster and Silverstone will be the Official Tyre Sponsor for Class B and C. Meanwhile, VW Cars will be providing the official cars for the event.

In his speech, Azmi said the event had drawn the interest of international teams particularly following the introduction of new regulations to allow up to 20 cars from the open class for fully modified cars and 20 more from Class A for cars above 1900cc to qualify for the race.

"We will definitely see more supercars this time round. I am pleased to say that we have very good responses from the international teams," he said.

He added that the new regulation to reduce the number of lesser powered cars was aimed at enhancing safety for the competitors and to provide more enjoyment for the fans.

Besides Class A, cars with engines between 1601cc and 1900cc will compete in Class B and cars below 1600cc in Class C.

This year's event will see Class B having a maximum of 19 cars and Class C 18 cars. In the previous year, there were 26 cars for each class on the starting grid.

This year, the race only allows a maximum of 77 starters on the grid according to the circuit licence issued by the International Federation of Automobile, world’s motorsports governing body.

This year’s event will also feature three support races -- the Asia Supercars Challenge, the Hong Kong Classic Cars Series and the single-seater junior formula Petronas Formula Xperience.

-- BERNAMA

Ainil Johani Among Athletes To Receive Sportexcel Incentives

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- National junior golfer Ainil Johani Abu Bakar was among 36 junior athletes who received incentives from the SportExcel foundation here Wednesday.

Ainil, 18, who won a bronze in women's golf at the SEA Games in Korat, Thailand last year, received RM3,000 for the feat.

"This is a big morale booster. It will spur me to reach even greater heights in future," she told Bernama when met at the incentive-presentation ceremony by SportExcel.

This year, SportExcel increased the amount for its incentives to RM60,500 compared to RM56,500 last year.

List of recipients:

Golf: Ainil Johani Abu Bakar, Michelle Koh Lay Sia, Wilson Choo Zhe Ming, Mohammad Iylia Mohd Jamil, Gavin Kyle Green, Chah Tuck Soon, Sim You Jin, Galven Kendall Green and Aaerishna Shahsty Bala Krishnan.

Cycling: Mohd Fakhruddin Daud.

Cricket: Mohd Suharril Fetri Shuib, Mohd Norwira Zazmie Abdul Halim, Derek Michael Duraisingam and S.Abilash Raaj.

Ten-pin bowling: Hee Kar Yen, Maisarah Rozali, Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi, Chan Wei Siang and Muhamaad Fazrin Khairul Faizi.

Artistic Gymnastics: Cheong see Teng

Rythmic Gymnastics: Durah Jasmi Abu Din, Emy Farrah Elena Mohd Johari and Amy Kwan Dict Weng

Squash: Shuan Kwan Ka Junn, Chai Bing Lih, Celine Yeap Shu Wan and Mithila Tamilarasan.

Swimming: Erika Kong Chia Chia, Ling EE Yeh, Cheng Karmen, Cavan Chow Kar Ven, Chan Kah Yan and Daryl Khoo Tiong Jinn.

Tennis: Mohd Assri Merzuki, Adelle Boey Chia Yan and Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak.

-- BERNAMA

Choong Hann Wants To Realise Olympic Dream

By Farhanah Azmi

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's No. 2 shuttler Wong Choong Hann is determined to realise the dream of taking home an Olympic medal in his second appearance in Beijing next month.

"My focus is to win a medal in the Olympics. The competition is surely stiff yet I'm still determined to bag a medal in the Olympics," said the 31-year-old player to Bernama.

He is now undergoing training under the supervision of Wong Tat Meng in preparation for realising the dream.

Choong Hann and compatriot Lee Chong Wei will represent the country in the men's badminton singles in the Olympics that will begin on Aug 9.

"I still remember the matches in the Games four years ago but now is not the time to recount past frustrations. I need to be of high spirits and have a strong mental strength," he said.

In the recent draw for the Olympic event, luck clearly was not in Choong Hann's favour as he would have to start off with playing against Athens Olympic Games gold medallist Taufik Hidayat from Indonesia in the second round.

"It'll be a stiff competition. To me, I've done the best preparation and I'm ready to face him.

"At the moment, I'm free of injury but usual pains are there at this age," said the lefthanded player who is 12th on the Badminton World Federation Super Series ranking.

Choong Hann and eight other national shuttlers will fly to Beijing for the Games on Aug 5.

-- BERNAMA

Amirul Yakin Mampu Berada Dalam Kelompok Lima Terbaik

Oleh Ahmad Muliady Ab. Majid

KUALA LUMPUR, 3O Julai (Bernama) -- Jaguh angkat berat negara Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim yakin mampu berada dalam kelompok lima atlet terbaik acara itu pada temasya Sukan Olimpik di Beijing yang bermula minggu depan.

Amirul, atlet dalam kategori A bagi acara angkat berat 56kg berkata beliau yakin dengan strategi yang bakal diatur oleh jurulatihnya Lin Xin Hui pada temasya sukan itu nanti.

"Saingan di Beijing nanti amat mencabar kerana semua atlet yang bertanding dalam kelompok kategori A mempunyai misi yang sama iaitu masing-masing berusaha memburu pingat," katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.

Amirul berkata beliau kini lebih bersedia dan bersemangat untuk menghadapi cabaran getir itu.

"Sekiranya mampu membawa pulang pingat untuk negara, itu adalah satu bonus bagi saya kerana pesaing yang bakal saya hadapi di Beijing nanti adalah antara mereka yang terhandal," katanya.

Dalam acara angkat berat, atlet yang berada dalam kelompok kategori A tidak perlu melalui pertandingan saringan.

Sementara itu jurulatih Amirul, Lin Xin Hui memberi jaminan bahawa Amirul kini sudah bersedia untuk menghadapi cabaran di Beijing.

"Saya belum lagi menetapkan strategi yang bakal digunakan oleh Amirul di Beijing nanti. Kami akan buat pemerhatian terhadapat atlet dari negara lain terlebih dahulu sebelum memutuskan strategi manakah yang paling sesuai untuk Amirul," katanya.

Amirul pernah memenangi tiga pingat emas ketika beraksi di temasya Sukan Komanwel di Manchester pada 2002, dan Olimpik Beijing adalah penyertaan pertama beliau dalam Sukan Olimpik.

-- BERNAMA

No easy ride for Mew Choo

Mew Choo could face Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva in the third round.

WONG Mew Choo fancies her chances of a semi-final berth but national singles coach Misbun Sidek has cautioned that the Olympics women’s singles competition is not going to be as easy as it appears.

In fact Misbun wants Mew Choo, the eighth seed, to first focus on a possible third round showdown against Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva who could provide a stiff test.

Mew Choo is set to meet third seed Lu Lan in the quarter-finals and the former will be looking to pull off an upset having beaten her rival from China twice in their last five meetings.

Misbun reiterated that it is hard to see any player outside China winning the women’s singles gold, especially now that Lu Lan has become a more consistent player. “Past records suggest that Mew Choo will have a good chance against Lu Lan, and I am optimistic but it is not going to be easy,” said Misbun yesterday.

“Lu Lan’s consistency has improved and I will still make her the favourite if she meets Mew Choo.
The Games are being held in Beijing and players from China are the front-runners for gold although they have been struggling to win.

“Mew Choo has prepared well and her first task is to reach the quarter-finals. She cannot take Petya for granted as the Bulgarian is hardworking and can last in long matches.

“It is going to be very hard to predict as we don’t know how well the opponents have prepared but the preliminary round matches will give a clearer indication on where Mew Choo stands against Lu Lan.”

“If there is one player who can deny China the gold, it is going to be Tine (Rasmussen of Denmark) and that will also depend on whether she is free of injuries,” added Misbun.

Mew Choo has received a bye in the first round and will play Kerry Lee Harrington of South Africa in the second before meeting Petya.

Lu Lan beat Mew Choo in straight games in the semi-finals of the Asian Badminton Championships in Johor in April which was their last meeting.

However, Mew Choo’s first objective is to reach the quarter-finals as no Malaysian has ever reached that stage in the women’s singles or doubles in the Olympics.

Anything beyond that will depend on how Mew Choo handles the pressure as her possible showdown with Lu Lan will depend very much on mental strength more than physical ability.

Chii Lin remains level-headed

HER involvement into the world of swimming was quite by accident.

Leung Chii Lin’s brother, Jiun Shayang, was suffering from asthma and was told that swimming could cure him and so, as a four-year-old, she tagged along to the Likas Sports Complex swimming pool in Kota Kinabalu.

That was 12 years ago. Today, Chii Lin is one of Malaysia’s brightest young stars.

Her potential in the sport caught the eye of several coaches in Sabah, when in her first tournament at seven, she won five gold medals in the State Under-12 championships.

Now, the 17-year-old is preparing for her biggest challenge yet — the Beijing Olympic Games.

She proved her prowess in the sport when she broke the 50m freestyle national record by clocking 26.18 seconds to qualify for the Beijing Games, at the Malaysia Open in May.

Chii Lin is now the envy of her peers, but her success has not come without pain.

“Currently, I have to be at the pool by 5.30am and I train for two and a half hours. Then I go to school and after that I take a nap. Next thing you know, I am back at the pool.

At night, I attend tuition before heading home to revise some more,” she said.

Chii Lin will be sitting for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations in November.

It may seem like a lot to handle for a 17-year-old but Chii Lin is coping admirably.

“My parents don’t pressure me to do well at the pool or to do well in studies. They let me set my own pace. I guess their confidence helps a lot.” “My older brother and sister were also national swimmers and they often advice me on how to divide my time between school and studies,” said Chii Lin, who hopes to pursue a career in Sports Science in the near future.

So what does it feel like to be famous at such a young age? Pausing for several seconds, Chii Lin responded that she is far from “feeling inflated” with all the accolades.

“I’m just a normal person and my friends are those who I meet in school. I also enjoy shopping but usually do this with mum,” she said.

In Beijing, she has a double mission.

The first challenge is to break her own national record while her second is to revise for the SPM.

“Swimming is a great thing but I don’t want to make a career out of it. Education comes first and I hope to be successful in it,” added Chii Lin.

Roslinda ready to soar higher

STILL nowhere near the form which saw her soar to the national record two years ago, Roslinda Samsu believes it is only a matter of time before she scales yet another peak.

The pole vaulter only has a season’s best of 4.30 metres which she achieved twice in Spain last month but has yet to match her career best of 4.40m, also set in Spain in 2006.

But the Kedah-born athlete knows that she must clear 4.55m at least if she harbours any hope of qualifying for the Olympic pole vault final on Aug 18.

“I’ve yet to reach 4.40m (since setting the national record) but I’ve been consistently clearing 4.30m and I’m still hopeful that by breaking the national record, it will be good enough for a place in the final,” said Roslinda after receiving her official attire at a function in Bukit Jalil on Monday.

“Going by the performances at the last World Championships (in Osaka last year), the cut-off mark for the final was 4.55m. It is going to be tough but I’m up to the challenge.”
Only the top 12 athletes from the qualification round will progress to the final two days later.

Roslinda, 26, who will be making her Olympics debut in Beijing, said the one-month competition stint in Spain has put her in the right frame of mind. “There is not much time left and there is nothing more that I can do now. I competed against some of the athletes who will be going to the Olympics like (American) Stacy Dragila and Svetlana Feofanova (of Russia).

“That helped me to build my confidence when I face them again in Beijing,” said Roslinda, who has the Singapore Open this weekend as her final tune-up event.

Roslinda earned a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar earlier this year but missed out on the World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain when her poles failed to arrive.

In her maiden World Outdoor Championship outing last year, Roslinda cleared 4.35m in the preliminary round.

She also won gold at the Asian Track and Field Championships, albeit against a weakened field, and at the Korat Sea Games.

Minister willing

SPORTS Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob (above) wants to meet the 102 former internationals who have expressed concern with the state of Malaysian hockey.

Ismail Sabri, who received a copy of the petition, brought up the matter during his ministry's post-cabinet meeting yesterday.

"I have been instructed by the minister to set up a meeting with the former players," said National Sports Council director general Datuk Zolkples Embong.

"The matter was discussed in the post-cabinet meeting and the minister wants to listen to the former players proposals before taking any further action."

Zolkples said a possible move could be to set up a taskforce.
"However, this may not be limited to just hockey as the committee could also be charged with handling football."

SportExcel to strive on regardless

Tunku Imran (third left from back) with the recipients of SportExcel grants.

DESPITE running into hard times, the Foundation for Malaysian Sporting Excellence (SportExcel) believe in fighting the battle for the development of junior athletes.

A bigger list of 40 recipients of the SportExcel junior development grant yesterday showed the body was able to battle the decline in interest from corporate bodies in supporting this less glamorous area of sport.

No longer will the foundation rely solely on contributions from charter members, as chairman Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar explained.

"Times are quite difficult for the private sector. The RM15,000 contribution by each charter member doesn't seem like much but even with that, we try to give each member as much mileage as they can get," said Tunku Imran.

SportExcel's national junior circuits in the eight sports under its wing, have for the past 17 years served as the main production line of junior athletes for the country.
Athletes such as squash World No 1 Nicol David, the entire national bowling squad, Europe-based cyclists Ng Yong Li and Firdaus Daud and swimmer Daniel Bego, all cut their teeth in SportExcel circuits.

But this year's total grant to the 40 athletes of between RM1,000 and RM3,000 each is just RM60,500, an increase of just RM4,000 from last year.

These funds are for young athletes who aren't being supported by any other bodies in the formative years. Once they move on to national programmes, SportExcel stops funding.

"We'll have to beef up our sources of funding. Last year, we managed to raise extra funds from organising a golf tournament. We'll continue to do such programmes to ensure that we can continue to help the young athletes," said Tunku Imran.

Ivan sole Malaysian survivor

IVAN Yuen was the sole Malaysian left standing after reaching the quarter-finals of the Men's World Junior Squash Championships in Zurich, Switzerland on Tuesday.

Ivan, 17, seeded joint ninth, ended the run of giant-killer Farhan Zaman of Pakistan with a 0-9, 9-1, 9-5, 9-7 win in 66 minutes in the sixth round.

Ivan, the Asian Junior Championship runner-up, became the first Malaysian to reach the last eight since Azlan Iskandar in 2000 and was due to play second seed Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt for a place in the semi-finals late yesterday.

Among other Malaysian performances, S. Mithran fell in the fifth round 9-0, 9-2, 9-2 to joint ninth seed Amr Khaled Khalifa of Egypt.

Cheong Kah Wah succumbed 9-5, 9-6, 9-3 in the fourth round to South African Reinhold Hergeth while Ng Jo Wen lost 9-4, 9-5, 2-9, 9-4 to India's Aditya Jagtap.
Unlike his teammates who received byes into the third round, Muhammad Zul Azri Abdul Aziz fought his way through the first two rounds before falling 9-4, 9-0, 9-4 to joint fifth seed Adrian Waller of England.

Muhammad Yassin Ikbal, a late replacement for injured national junior No 2 Kamran Khan, lost 9-1, 9-4, 9-3 to England's James Earles in the second round.

Kevin endures personal hardship to earn Olympic spot

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Sailor Dr Kevin Lim is not expected to contend for the medals but his journey to Beijing is certainly an inspiration to all Malaysian athletes who hope to be an Olympian one day.

Kevin became the first from the Malaysian contingent to set foot in China for the Olympics when he arrived in Qingdao two days ago.

Early bird: Kevin Lim is the first from the Malaysian contingent to arrive in China for the Olympics.

Of the 33 would-be Olympians, he was the one least expected to be there.

The National Sports Council and the Malaysian Yachting Association (MYA) gave up on him after a miserable outing at the Doha Asian Games two years ago.

He was disqualified twice on the first day of racing and never recovered to totally miss out on the gold medal target. But while everyone else gave up on him, Kevin never lost faith of his ability.

The two-time Asian Games silver medallist returned to work as a houseman in Sydney for a few months and the 2007 Laser World Championships – the first qualifying event for Beijing – quickly passed him by.

Though the lure of the choppy seas proved too hard to resist, there were still some hurdles to overcome.

He found out that MYA not only failed to submit an entry for the 2008 Laser World Championships – the last qualifying event – but also did not pay their annual subscriptions to the International Laser Class Association (ILCA).

Kevin pleaded with ILCA to accept his entry and forked out RM5,500 from his own pocket after MYA ignored his repeated requests for funding.

Realising that he would not be able to make the Olympic grade if he trained part-time, Kevin quit his job and lived off his savings.

“I knew my fitness had dropped. So I clocked ridiculous hours on the water and in the gym.

“I also knew I was lacking regatta experience, so I went to every ISAF graded event I could – driving for 12 hours at times. Once to Brisbane (1,000km away), twice to Melbourne (also 1,000km away) and then daily to Terrigal to familiarise myself with the World Championship venue (70km away),” he said via e-mail.

The rest is history.

Kevin earned a quota spot for the country in the world meet and, in the process, became the first-ever Malaysian to compete in four consecutive Olympics.

But his participation in the Beijing Games was put in doubt when MYA ordered him to return home to take part in a selection trial.

Kevin refused to bow down to their demands.

Kevin, 31, has since settled down at the Athletes Village in Qingdao, which is almost 900km from Beijing, and will begin proper training from today.

“The Athletes Village is like a six-star hotel. It’s truly impressive and my room has a perfect bird’s eye view of the sailing marina.

“It’s not easy to leave the athletes village with the facilities that are provided,” said Kevin.

Athletics: Hup Wei and Roslinda to compete in Singapore Open

KUALA LUMPUR: Beijing Olympic-bound high jumper Lee Hup Wei and pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu will compete in the Singapore Open athletics championships this weekend in what will be their final tune-up before the start of the Games.

The 21-year-old Hup Wei is hoping for a good outing in Singapore to boost his confidence ahead the Olympics, which will begin on Aug 8.

“I will be making my Olympic debut and I need to compete in as many meets as possible so that I can give my best at the Games,” said Hup Wei yesterday.

He said that he would have to clear at least 2.29m in the Olympics if he wanted to reach the final.

“With the help of my two coaches – Cuban Joe Louis (Alforo) and Lou (Cwee Peng) – I aim to deliver at the Olympics,” said Hup Wei, who cleared 2.27m in the China Open in May to break the 13-year-old national record of 2.24m set by Loo Kum Zee at the 1995 Chiang Mai SEA Games.

Roslinda, who has struggled for form in six meets this year, is hoping to get her act right in Singapore.

“I’ve basically not had a good year as I’ve only managed 4.30m, which is 10cm off my national record,” said Roslinda, who has to clear at least 4.50m if she hopes to reach the final in the Olympics.

Three other national athletes – shot putter Adi Alifuddin, Yap Tzeng Jan (women’s discus) and Wong Boon Syian (high jumper) – will also compete in the two-day meet in Singapore.

Walker Yuan Yufang, who will be featuring in her third Olympics, is training in Kunming, China.

Squash: Nicol survives Egyptian challenge to enter q-finals

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 1 Nicol David staved off a strong challenge from Engy Kheirallah of Egypt to book her ticket to the quarter-finals of the Singapore Masters at the Kallang Squash Centre yesterday.

Defending champion Nicol, who is gunning for her sixth Women’s International Squash Players Association (Wispa) title this year, won 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5.

Into the last eight: Nicol David defeated Egypt’s Engy Kheirallah 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5 at the Singapore Masters yesterday.

Judging by the result, Nicol is obviously finding it tough to get used to the new 11-point scoring system.

At the Malaysian Open last week, Nicol struggled to adapt to the new scoring system, which was being used for the first time. Luckily Nicol, a two-time World Open champion, found her rhythm in the final against Natalie Grinham of Holland to bag her fourth straight Malaysian Open crown.

Meanwhile, Frenchwoman Isabelle Stoehr created the biggest upset of the day when she came back from a set down to stun world No. 2 and second seed Grinham 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11.

World No. 16 Stoehr will face seventh seed Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt in the quarter-finals.

The Egyptian had earlier eliminated qualifier Lauren Briggs of England 11-1, 11-7, 11-3.

Grinham’s elder sister, Rachael, also advanced to the last eight with an easy 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 win over qualifier Alana Miller of Canada.

The 31-year-old third-seeded Rachael, reigning World Open champion, takes on eighth seed Alison Waters of England today for a place in the semi-finals.

Alison disposed of qualifier Line Hansen of Denmark in straight sets in the quarter-finals.

Results

First round: Nicol David (Mas) bt Engy Kheirallah (Egy) 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5; Alison Waters (Eng) bt Line Hansen (Den) 11-4, 11-1, 11-4; Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Alana Miller (Can) 11-2, 11-6, 11-2; Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Lauren Briggs (Eng) 11-1, 11-7, 11-3; Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt Natalie Grinham (Ned) 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11.

Eight defining moments

IN 1956, the Federation of Malaya Olympic Council (known as the Olympic Council of Malaysia since 1964) sent a contingent of 33 athletes from six sports to compete in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics for the first time.

Since then, Malaysia have competed in all the Olympics, except for the Moscow Games in 1980.

Here, we take a look at the highs and lows of Malaysian athletes in the greatest games on earth – the Olympics.

MELBOURNE 1956

THE Malaya hockey team competed in their first-ever Olympics - and their first ever-international competition. Hockey was among the five sports that took part in the Games. The others being athletics, swimming, weightlifting and shooting.

The hockey team did well in the preliminary rounds, losing once, but still ended up in ninth position in the 12-team competition. One of the more illustrious members of the team is Tan Sri P. Alagendra, who later became coach and manager of the national team before rising to become the MHF deputy president.

TOKYO 1964

DATUK Dr M. Jegathesan became the first Malaysian athlete to qualify for the semi-finals in the 200m. In Heat 5 of the first round, he clocked 20.92 – which is still a Malaysian record after 44 years! In the second round, Jegathesan recorded 21.4 to qualify for the semi-finals before he was eventually eliminated.

MUNICH 1972

FOR the first time in the history of Malaysian football, the national team – comprising the likes of M. Chandran, Soh Chin Aun, Wong Kam Fook, Shaharuddin Abdullah, Wong Choon Wah, Namat Abdullah, Lim Fung Kee, Ali Bakar and several others – played at the Olympics. Malaysia were drawn in Group A with West Germany, Morocco and the USA.

After losing to the Germans 0-3 in the opening game, Malaysia bounced back to beat the Americans 3-0. But their campaign ended prematurely after being thrashed 6-0 by Morocco.

The football team qualified for the Olympics a second time – Moscow 1980 – but did not take part as Malaysia was part of a US-led boycott to protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

BARCELONA 1992

AFTER being a demonstration sport at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and an exhibition sport in 1988 in Seoul, badminton made its full-medal debut in Barcelona.

The Sidek brothers of Razif and Jalani had the honour of becoming the country’s first Olympic medallists when they returned with the bronze medal. Razif-Jalani were guaranteed the bronze after they advanced to the semi-finals. They eventually lost to then world No. 1 South Korean pair of Park Joo-bong-Kim Moon, who went on to win the gold.

ATLANTA 1996

THE play-off for the bronze medal was introduced for the first time and the men’s doubles pairs of Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock and Tan Kim Her-Soo Beng Kiang ensured Malaysia of at least a bronze when they powered their way into the semi-finals.

But second seeds Soon Kit-Beng Kiang went one step further when they beat Indonesia's Deny Kantono-Antonius 15-10, 15-4 to qualify for the final. They, however, went down fighting to top seeds Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky 15-5, 13-15, 12-15 in 84 minutes. The silver medal remains Malaysia’s best ever performance at the Olympics.

SYDNEY 2000

LEE Wan Yuen became the first Malaysian taekwondo exponent to compete in the Olympics when the sport made its debut as a medal sport in Sydney. She had qualified for the Olympics after finishing second in the Asian qualifiers a few months earlier.

However, her Olympic experience lasted only 11 minutes – going down to France’s Myriam Baverel 4-8 in the first round of the women's over 67kg category.

ATHENS 2004

LIM Keng Liat became the first Malaysian swimmer to break into the top 16 semi-finals when he clocked the eighth fastest time of 55.22 in the men’s 100m backstroke. But the Malaysian blew his chance of going one step further when he swam 56.08 to finish 15th overall in the semi-finals. Keng Liat's performance is still the best by a Malaysian swimmer at the Olympics.

Track cyclist Josiah Ng did not earn a medal but he surely deserved one for the way he beat the odds to be among the best in the world in the keirin race. He became the first Malaysian to qualify for a track cycling final and eventually finished fifth. It was the best performance by a Malaysian athlete at the Games and Josiah deservingly won the Sportsman of the Year award.

Kim Hock bakal ketuai 'kontinjen terbuang'

Oleh Ahmad Khawari Isa
ahmadkhawari@bharian.com.my

'Rombongan' babitkan pakar ketahanan mental, psikologi

JIKA ada sekelumit faktor pengubat derita Yap Kim Hock � ketua jurulatih yang tersisih daripada skuad pimpinannya � ianya adalah hakikat dia tidak bersendirian menanggung malang terjelma.

Malah, Kim Hock akan ke Beijing � biarpun sekadar di pinggiran temasya Sukan Olimpik � mengetuai 'kontinjen terbuang' yang akan cuba menyumbang khidmat di sebalik hakikat mereka terasing daripada kontinjen negara.

Anggota 'kontinjen terbuangnya' termasuk beberapa pakar ketahanan mental dan ahli psikologi yang sepatutnya membantu menyiapkan atlit negara � terutama pemain badminton � pada detik getir amat hampir dengan kejohanan.

Semuanya akan menginap di luar Perkampungan Sukan dengan detik bersama pemain badminton negara hanya di dewan latihan yang disewa Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) sebelum bermulanya kejohanan.

Kim Hock, selaku 'ketua kontinjen', akan bertanggungjawab memastikan kumpulan kecil � bersama beberapa pemain yang dibawa khas untuk membantu latihan � ini hadir ke dewan latihan itu.

Segalanya kerana faktor sama � jumlah kad akreditasi terhad buat pegawai ketika Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) lebih mengutamakan 'pegawai dan sukarelawan yang sudah berjasa kepada sukan negara.'

Namun biar apa sekalipun alasannya, ia ibarat menempelak penekanan Timbalan Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kabinet mengenai Pembangunan Sukan, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, mengenai pentingnya pemain dibekalkan ketahanan mental mantap.

"Selain tumpuan kepada latihan secara sistematik dan komprehensif, fokus kepada kekuatan mental kerana faktor inilah yang membeza antara pasukan dan individu yang menang.

"Apa yang membezakan kita dengan lawan adalah kerana kekuatan mental kita yang boleh menjamin kemenangan dalam saingan yang begitu sengit," kata Najib selepas mempengerusikan jawatankuasa itu, 24 Jun lalu.

Langkah pakar ketahanan mental dan ahli psikologi itu sebaik kejohanan bermula nanti ialah melambai dari jauh � sesuatu yang mungkin mampu dilakukan lebih dekat jika berjaya mendapat tiket masuk ke gelanggang saingan.

Mungkin itulah cara MOM, juga Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) yang sebaliknya memilih untuk menghantar dua doktor dan empat fisioterapis secara bergilir-gilir, mentafsirkan penekanan terhadap faktor pentingnya persiapan mental atlit negara.

'Kami tak berniat sisih'

Oleh Ahmad Khawari Isa
ahmadkhawari@bharian.com.my

MASIH ada rasa sayang Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) terhadap ketua jurulatihnya, Yap Kim Hock, yang tidak pernah mahu disisihkan sepanjang tempoh Sukan Olimpik di Beijing nanti.

Biarpun tidak tersenarai dalam kelompok empat pegawai diberikan kad akreditasi untuk tinggal dalam Perkampungan Sukan temasya itu, peranan Kim Hock tetap diakui penting dalam merencanakan cabaran pemain-pemain negara.

"Dia tetap ada peranan penting. Buktinya ketara apabila BAM tetap memastikan dia ke Beijing, biarpun terpaksa menggunakan tiket Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) kerana kuota pegawai yang terhad.

"Antara tanggungjawabnya nanti ialah memastikan pemain mengikuti latihan terakhir secara berterusan selain mengawasi prestasi pemain dan juga jurulatih," kata Pengurus Besar BAM, Kenny Goh.

Kim Hock sebelumnya melahirkan rasa terkilan apabila namanya tercicir daripada kuota empat pegawai � yang sebaliknya diisi tiga jurulatih, Misbun Sidek, Rexy Mainaky dan Wong Tat Meng � selain pengurus, Datuk Lim Teong Kiat.

Hakikat perit itu tambah terserlah kerana ikatan kontrak Kim Hock selaku ketua jurulatih sebelumnya berkait rapat dengan sasaran memenangi emas Sukan Olimpik, bukannya setakat ke Beijing selaku penonton.

"BAM tidak pernah berniat menyisihkan Kim Hock. Lagipun, keputusan pemilihan empat pegawai itu diputuskan Jawatankuasa Teknik dan Kejurulatihan BAM, yang turut dianggotainya.

"Perbincangan ada dibuat sebelum keputusan itu dibuat dan sepanjang proses itu, Kim Hock juga hadir dan turut menerimanya," kata Kenny.

Kegagalan Kim Hock untuk bersama-sama sembilan pemain negara di Beijing turut mencetus persoalan ekoran pendekatan Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) yang sebelumnya menentukan pemilihan pegawai untuk mendapat kad akreditasi turut bergantung kepada faktor 'jasa dan khidmat' pegawai berkhidmat secara sukarela.

Ia menyaksikan kontinjen negara bakal dibentuk jumlah pegawai melebihi angka keseluruhan atlit � 39 berbanding 33 � biarpun hanya 33 pegawai akan berada di Beijing pada satu-satu masa menggunakan sistem penggiliran kad akreditasi.

Sembilan pemain badminton negara yang tidak akan dibantu secara terus oleh Kim Hock di Beijing nanti ialah Lee Chong Wei, Wong Choong Hann, Wong Mew Choo serta tiga pasangan � Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong dan Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui.

Himpunan atlit kaya, popular

Semua menuju ke satu destinasi - Beijing untuk melengkapkan misi peribadi

SINGAPURA: Sebahagian nama besar serta terkaya dalam dunia sukan akan berhimpun pada Sukan Olimpik Beijing diterajui jutawan tenis, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova (gambar) diikuti bintang bola sepak, Lionel Messi dan Yao Ming, LeBron James dan Michael Phelps.

Sesetengahnya mungkin terpaksa berhimpit dengan rakan sepasukan lain di Perkampungan Olimpik dengan yang lainnya dijangka menginap di hotel mewah, menggambarkan status dan tahap kewangan mereka.

Dengan Olimpik bakal menggamit lebih daripada 10,000 atlit, hanya sebahagian yang mampu meletakkan diri dalam setiap sanubari peminat sukan dunia dan semakin kecil pula bilangan atlit yang mampu menarik tajaan berjuta-juta dolar.

Mungkin nama yang paling dekat di hati peminat dunia adalah Federer, bintang tenis Switzerland yang menguasai sukan itu sejak lima tahun, walaupun di China, yang mempunyai 1.3 bilion penduduk, pemain tengah Houston Rockets, Yao Ming dan pelari berhalangan, Liu Xiang, menjadi sanjungan utama penduduk tempatan.

Namun apabila dikaitkan dengan kemewahan, pasukan bola keranjang Amerika mungkin lebih terkehadapan.

Pemain seperti James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony dan Dwyane Wade berada dalam senarai teratas kerana mereka mendapat gaji berjuta-juta dolar dan pasti menjadi perhatian ketika mereka beraksi di Beijing kelak.

James yang terkenal dengan jolokan 'King James' adalah ahli sukan terkaya di planet ini dan andai anda percaya kepada segala laporan yang terbit sebelum ini, dia berada pada landasan terbaik untuk muncul sebagai ahli sukan pertama yang meraih pendapatan berbilion-bilion.

Sebaik saja bintang Cleveland Cavaliers menyertai kancah saingan NBA, dia dilaporkan membelikan sebuah kereta baru untuk setiap anggota pasukan bola keranjang sekolah tingginya.

Malah rumahnya yang terletak di pinggir Cleveland, mempunyai sebuah pusat bowling, kedai gunting rambut peribadi dan lebih hebat lagi, mempunyai sebuah kasino.

Bryant dan rakan sepasukannya juga tidak kurang hebatnya, tetapi mereka pasti tidak mahu terlalu bermegah di Beijing selepas pasukan Amerika sekadar mara ke separuh akhir di Olimpik Athens � sejarah buruk sukan bola keranjang buat negara itu.

Kecewa di Athens menamatkan kegembiraan tiga emas berturut-turut Olimpik dan kini mereka begitu terdesak untuk merampas semula mahkota gelaran itu.

"Kami akan kembali menjadi juara Olimpik pada tahun ini," kata James.

Dengan kehadiran pemain berpengalaman, kaya dan pasukan yang sudah membuktikan semangat berpasukan tinggi, kehadiran atlit lain dalam banyak lagi acara tradisi Olimpik, tetap menjadi tarikan temasya di Beijing.

Pada masa sama, tarikan daripada kehadiran selebriti sukan turut memeriahkan lagi temasya namun, ia juga bakal memeningkan atlit ini kerana mereka bakal diburu peminat yang mahukan autograf, termasuk daripada atlit yang turut bersaing.

Federer dari awal lagi sudah menyatakan, dia tidak mahu tumpuannya untuk merebut emas pertama Olimpik terganggu dengan keadaan itu.

"Di Athens dulu terbukti memberikan kesukaran kepada saya. Terlalu ramai orang mengenali saya sama ada ketika menaiki bas atau ketika bersiar-siar. Malah saya turut tidak dapat memberikan tumpuan ketika menjamu selera kerana ada saja yang menegur atau menepuk bahu," katanya. � AFP