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ALOR SETAR, 30 April (Bernama) -- Pemain import Kedah Abd Elfatah Safi yang baru pulih dari kecederaan akan diturunkan dalam kesebelasan utama menentang Kelantan pada saingan separuh akhir kedua Piala FA di Stadium Darul Aman, malam Selasa. Jurulatih Kedah Wan Jamak Wan Hassan berkata pada sesi akhir latihan yang diadakan pagi tadi menunjukkan Safi cergas sepenuhnya dan dapat melakukan latihan penuh bersama pemain lain. Beliau berkata kehadiran Safi diharap dapat mencorakkan sesuatu bagi membolehkan Kedah menjaringkan seberapa banyak gol dalam usaha memburu tempat ke peringkat akhir. "Pemain pertahanan, V. Thirumurugan yang mengalami kecederaan sebelum ini juga telah pulih dan mungkin akan diturunkan bagi membantu menguatkan pertahanan Kedah daripada dibolosi," katanya ketika dihubungi Bernama di sini pada Isnin. Safi sebelum ini tidak diturunkan oleh Wan Jamak menentang Kelantan pada suku ahkir pertama Piala FA di Kelantan 21 April lepas akibat ...

MARANG, 30 April (Bernama) -- Penganjur kejohanan Swimathon Antarabangsa Kapas-Marang (SAKM) bercadang menjadikan acara itu lebih mencabar tahun depan. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pelancongan, Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan Negeri, Datuk Rahin Mohd Said berkata jarak renangan 5.6 kilometer sekarang akan dipanjangkan jaraknya dua kali ganda tahun depan. Katanya acara mungkin tidak lagi dimulakan di Pulau Kapas sebaliknya di perairan pantai di hujung landasan Lapangan Terbang Sultan Mahmud. "Ini mungkin lebih menarik dan mencerminkan cabaran yang sebenar kepada para peserta kerana jaraknya lebih jauh berbanding sekarang. "Bagaimanapun pantai peranginan Kelulut tetap dikekalkan menjadi tempat penamat kerana ia mempunyai infrastruktur yang diperlukan selain antara tempat pelancongan sempena Tahun Melawat Terengganu 2013," katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.

INDIA OPEN: Wan Ho grabs his first super series crown SOUTH Korean Shon Wan Ho denied Lee Chong Wei  a triumphant return from injury by snatching the India Open crown from the World No 1 in New Delhi yesterday. Chong Wei, making a comeback after a six-week layoff due to shoulder injury, made too many uncharacteristic errors and handed Wan Ho a 21-18, 14-21, 21-19 victory in 66 minutes. Chong Wei, the defending champion, started well and led 18-16 in the first game only to allow Wan Ho to score five points on the trot and concede the first game. Chong Wei led all the way in the second game by playing more aggressively to win 21-14 and also staged a fightback from 13-18 to take a 19-18 lead. However, the effort was still not enough as Wan Ho got his second wind and took the next three points and his first super series crown. National coach Tey Seu Bock, in a telephone interview from New Delhi, said Chong Wei's defeat was not due to the shoulder i...

PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei failed to clinch his third title of the year after a shock 18-21, 21-14, 19-21 loss to a determined Shon Wan-ho of South Korea in the India Open men’s singles final in New Delhi. The 29-year-old Penangite, who looked to be on fire since coming back from a shoulder injury suffered last month, finally met his match in Wan-ho. With a place in the London Olympics at stake, the 24-year-old Wan-ho was in a determined mood and took the first game 21-18. However, Chong Wei proved that he is made of sterner stuff and came back strongly to win the second 21-14. In the rubber game, Wan-ho twice led at 14-8 and 18-13 but Chong Wei proved his resilience to level it 18-18 before finally running out of steam as the young Korean won the 66-minute battle 21-18, 14-21, 21-19. With his first Super Series title in the bag, the world No. 17 should make a significant jump in the world rankings and earn a much coveted ticket to London in the la...

CHONG WEI gagal mempertahankan gelarannya pada Terbuka India selepas tewas kepada pemain muda Korea Selatan, Shon Wan Ho semalam. APA sudah jadi dengan jaguh negara, Datuk Lee Chong Wei?Adakah kecederaan di bahagian bahu kanan yang di alaminya sebelum ini masih menghantui pemain No. 1 dunia itu. Semalam, Chong Wei menerima tamparan hebat apabila gagal dalam misi mempertahankan kejuaraan pada Kejohanan Badminton Siri Super Terbuka India 2012. Dia kalah kepada bintang muda Korea Selatan, Shon Wan Ho pada final kejohanan itu yang berlangsung di New Delhi. Tewas pada set pertama 18-21, Chong Wei kembali bangkit apabila mencatatkan kemenangan 21-14 pada set kedua. Bagaimanapun, hasrat untuk menyaksikan Chong Wei, 30, merangkul gelaran juara buat kali kedua selepas melakukannya pada tahun lalu tidak kesampaian apabila dia tewas 19-21 pada set penentuan. Kekalahan itu sekali gus menyaksikan Chong Wei gagal dalam misi untuk merangkul kejuaraan ketiga tahun ...

MALACCA is set to host its first international hockey tournament as its stadium received a RM1 million facelift and the opening ceremony will be the first of its kind. The MBM Hockey Stadium has undergone a RM1 million facelift.  The Junior Asia Cup, which also doubles up as a World Cup Qualifier, will be held on May 3-13 with players and officials ferried by boats along the Malacca River to the venue of the opening ceremony. "We are proud to play host to the tournament and have worked hard to ensure that all preparations are of international standards," said Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad, deputy president of Malacca HA and senior vice president of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation. "It is an honour for Malacca to play hosts as this is the first time we are given the opportunity to host a top class tournament and that is why we want the opening ceremony to be the first of its kind. "And another pride is that Malaysi...

NO DISTRACTION: Huang Qiang sends family back to China Huang Qiang DIVER Huang Qiang has made the ultimate sacrifice for Olympic glory. The naturalised Malaysian has moved his family back to China as he does not want distractions ahead of the London Games. Huang Qiang will make his Olympic debut after he and Bryan Nickson Lomas earned a quota spot in the 3-metre springboard synchro at the World Cup in London, where they also made history by clinching bronze. The 30-year-old, who received his citizenship in July, is serious about making an impact at the London Games after a back injury kept him out from the China team for the 2000 edition in Sydney. National coach Yang Zhuliang said Huang Qiang made a difficult decision to move his family to China. "His Malaysian wife and five-month-old son are with his parents in China. He felt it would be too taxing to take care of his family and also focus on training," said...

POTENT TEAM: Rajagobal has more options for AFF Cup Rajagobal tested several fringe and uncapped players in the 6-0 hammering of Sri Lanka on Saturday. MALAYSIA answered their critics with a 6-0 demolition of Sri Lanka on Saturday for their first victory of the year but coach Datuk K. Rajagobal warned his team not to get carried away with the result. Rajagobal tested several fringe and uncapped players and they impressed him with their composure and confidence. Their performance provides Rajagobal with more options ahead of the AFF Cup in November. A lethargic Safee Sali was replaced by former Kuala Lumpur striker Ahmad Hazwan Bakri in the 70th minute and the substitute made the most of the opportunity by scoring a hat-trick in his first senior appearance. Young Tigers winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor earned a memorable second senior cap by scoring a first half brace while Pahang's Azamuddin Akil also scored his first int...

KUALA LUMPUR: Family will take a backseat for naturalised Malaysian diver Huang Qiang as he chases Olympic glory. The former World Cup champion has sent his wife and five-month-old son back to China to stay with his in-laws as he feels this will enable him to give his full commitment to the last three months of training before the London Games. Huang Qiang left yesterday with the national Olympic team for the Canadian Open in Montreal this weekend where he will be on double duty. Huang Qiang, 30, is not just doing the 3m springboard synchro with new partner Bryan Nickson Lomas but is also contesting the individual springboard. Also doing the individual discipline is Guangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Yeoh Ken Nee. The divers will then travel to Fort Lauderdale for the US Open the following week. The Canadian and US Opens, which are part of the World Grand Prix circuit, are the last two assignments before the divers set up training camp in Guangzhou for the...

WAN ZACK (kiri) tampil dengan rentak cemerlang pada aksi menentang Sri Lanka di Stadium Shah Alam kelmarin. PENGENDALI Harimau Malaya, Datuk K. Rajagobal tidak mahu skuadnya cepat berpuas hati meskipun berjaya mencatatkan kemenangan bergaya 6-0 ke atas Sri Lanka dalam satu perlawanan persahabatan di Stadium Shah Alam malam kelmarin. Menurut beliau, masih terlalu awal untuk berasa selesa kerana banyak lagi perkara yang perlu dipertingkatkan menjelang tiga lagi aksi persahabatan menentang Filipina (1 Jun) dan juga Singapura pada 8 dan 12 Jun depan. “Kemenangan ini penting untuk meningkatkan semula keyakinan pasukan, namun rentak dan tempo permainan serta kombinasi pemain dilihat masih perlu dipertingkatkan. “Pada masa sama, saya juga memuji kesungguhan pemain muda yang mampu memberikan cabaran kepada pemain yang lebih senior. Saya percaya, ia satu perkembangan yang sihat,” katanya kelmarin. Dalam perlawanan kelmarin, penyerang muda negara, Ahmad Hazwan Bak...

KUALA LUMPUR: The national women’s hockey team, still reeling from two huge defeats, fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw in their match against Belarus in the Olympic qualifier in Kakamigahara, Japan, yesterday. Belarus shot ahead in the 17th minute through Nadzeya Silitskaya’s deflected goal before Maryia Halinouskaya made it 2-0 with a penalty corner goal. Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani then sparked the Malaysian comeback, scoring both goals late in the match. Malaysia had lost 4-0 to Azerbaijan and 8-0 to Japan and are out of the reckoning for a place in the London Olympics. In another match yesterday, Japan were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by Chile, who are Malaysia’s next opponents tomorrow. Results Malaysia 2 Belarus 2, Chile 0 Japan 0, Austria 0 Azerbaijan 5.

NEW DELHI, April 29 (Bernama) - World number one shuttler, Datuk Lee Chong Wei lost his men's single title at the India Open 2012 Sunday to Korea's Shon Wan Ho. Chong Wei, who was the defending champion, lost to Shon 18-21, 21-14, 19-21. India Open is the first major tournament the world number one participated in since suffering a shoulder injury during the All-England Championship. However, he said his shoulder injury was not the reason he lost. "Everything is fine," he told reporters when asked if the shoulder injury was an issue. "This is my first game after the injury. So, it is okay. Shon played very, very well," he said, adding that he did not expect the Korean player to perform that good. Chong Wei said his focus now was for the Olympics and has a good three months to train. In the women's doubles, Korea's Jung Kyun Eun-Kim Ha Na pair beat China's Bao Yixin-Zhong Qianxin 21-17, 21-18. Defending champions for ...

SHANGHAI, April 29 (Bernama) -- Former Malaysian Formula One driver Alex Yoong led from the start to win Race 1 of the inaugural Audi R8 LMS Cup held at the Shanghai International Circuit here Sunday. Starting second on the grid, amidst a light drizzle which needed wet tyres to be brought in and changed minutes before the start, he zoomed into the lead, right after the green light, though Marchy Lee of Hongkong came mesmerisingly close to threatening his lead on a number of occasions. Digging deep into his vast experience as a former F1 driver, Alex Yoong held off the Hong Kong racer's advances to hold his racing line and clinch the 17-lap race with a total time of 36 minutes 12.942 seconds, en route to setting the fastest time of 2:01.723s on lap 4 of the race held over a 4.603km distance. "My start was excellent and overtook Marchy Lee on the first turn. From then on, the race strategy was to hold on to the lead, not make any mistake and not push t...

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia were held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus in the third match of the women's hockey Olympics Qualifying Round in Kakamigahara, Japan Sunday. Malaysia had lost in the two previous matches against Aizerbaijan and Japan which placed the Malaysian women in fifth place out of six teams. In the second half, Malaysia turned stronger with Siti Rahmah Othman scoring Malaysia's first goal in the 41st minute while the equaliser was contributed by Siti Noor Amarina Ruhani, in the 68th minute in the match. Belarus had earlier led with two goals scored in the first half by Nadzeya Silitskaya in the 17th minute and Maryia Halinouskaya in the 27th. Monday, Malaysia will face Chile, ranked 17th in the world, in their fourth match while on the following day, the Malaysian women will face Austria.

SHAH ALAM, April 28 (Bernama) -- Malayan Tigers lived up to expectations when they ran ring all over Sri Lanka to trash them 6-0 in an international friendly at the Shah Alam Stadium Saturday night. Playing before some 5,000 partisan supporters, Malayan Tigers, who were in control of the game, led 2-0 at half time. Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor opened scoring in the 24th minute and was on target again two minutes later after connecting a long pass from Mohd Safee Mohd Sali. Malayan Tigers went on a goal-scoring spree in the second half, starting with Ahmad Hazwan Bakri who found the net in two quick successions in the 71st and 81st minute. Azamuddin Mohd Akil increased the scoreline to 5-0 before Ahmad Hazwan completed a hattrick when he nodded the ball into the net during extra time. National chief coach Datuk K. Rajagobal said he was happy and satisfied with the overall performance of his players who romped home to an easy victory.

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 April (Bernama) -- Juara bertahan Pahang membuktikan keunggulan mereka dalam kategori silat seni selepas meraih empat daripada enam pingat emas dalam kategori tersebut pada hari keempat Kejohanan Silat Kebangsaan ke-16 di Stadium Badminton Kuala Lumpur, Cheras di sini Jumaat. Mohd Faqiyuddin Hamid menghadiahkan emas pertama untuk negeri Pantai Timur itu selepas mencatatkan 453 mata untuk menewaskan dua pencabarnya iaitu Hilmi Asmawi Zakaria dari Lincah Malaysia dan Amirul Akmal Abdullah dari Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) yang masing-masing memungut 443 dan 441 mata. Pasangan Mohd Hafiz Mohamad Arif/Mohd Taqiyuddin Hamid menyumbang emas kedua untuk juara kejohanan pada 2004, 2006 dan 2010 itu dalam acara Ganda Putera manakala trio Mohd Nazreen Zulkefli, Mohd Hafidzul Hakimi Ibrahim dan Rosli Mohd Sharif pula memberi emas ketiga Pahang dalam acara Regu Putera. Pasangan adik beradik Nur Atikah dan Nur Jannah Alias menyumbangkan emas terakhir un...

PEMAIN nombor satu dunia, Datuk Lee Chong Wei sekali lagi mendapat cabaran sengit daripada pemain nombor satu India, Ajay Jayaram dalam usahanya mempertahankan kejuaraan Siri Super Terbuka India pada pusingan kedua semalam. Chong Wei menang set pertama 21-16, mendapat tentangan daripada Ajay yang merampas set kedua dengan kemenangan 21-15. Namun pemain yang baru beraksi pada kejohanan antarabangsa pertamanya, selepas pulih daripada kecederaan bahu yang dialami di Seluruh England Mac lalu, memacu set ketiga dengan kemenangan bergaya 21-5 untuk bermain di suku akhir hari ini. Lawan getir menantinya sama ada bekas juara Olimpik dari Indonesia, Taufik Hidayat atau pemain muda China, Wang Zhengming. Sementara Muhd Hafiz Hashim yang akan bermain sebagai perseorangan ketiga di Piala Thomas bulan depan gagal mengatasi seteru dari China, Chen Jin, pemain yang akan berada di posisi ketiga skuad China. Bekas juara Seluruh England itu tewas dua set 18-21, ...

ROSMAN dilantik ketua jurulatih beregu wanita yang baru berkuat kuasa 1 Mei ini. KEKOSONGAN yang ditinggalkan Rexy Mainaky selaku ketua jurulatih beregu wanita kini sudah ada pengganti. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kejurulatihan dan Latihan (C&T) Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM), Ng Chin Chai mengumumkan, Rosman Abdul Razak akan menjadi ketua jurulatih beregu wanita yang baharu berkuat kuasa 1 Mei ini. Chin Chai berkata, berdasarkan penilaian yang dibuat pihaknya, Rosman yang sebelum ini menggalas tugas selaku jurulatih beregu lelaki merupakan calon yang paling layak. “Kami (BAM) membuat keputusan ini berdasarkan hasil kerjanya yang baik sebelum ini. “Selain itu, kami juga melihat dari aspek senioriti dan mendapatkan maklum balas daripada pemain,” kata Chin Chai ketika sidang akhbar selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat C&T di Stadium Juara Bukit Kiara semalam. Bagaimanapun, Chin Chai menjelaskan pengumuman rasmi berhubung pelantikan tersebut hany...

KHIM WAH (kiri) dan V Shem mencipta kejutan apabila mara ke peringkat suku akhir Terbuka India semalam. BEREGU muda lelaki negara, Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah cemerlang apabila mara ke peringkat suku akhir Kejohanan Badminton Siri Super Terbuka India 2012. Kejayaan itu hadir selepas V Shem-Khim Wah mencipta kejutan menewaskan beregu pilihan keempat dari Indonesia, Mohammad Ahsan-Bona Septano 13-21, 21-19 21-18 pada aksi pusingan kedua kejohanan yang berlangsung di New Delhi semalam. Terdahulu, beregu utama lelaki negara, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong hanya selangkah sahaja lagi untuk mencapai sasaran yang diletakkan ke atas bahu mereka pada kejohanan kali ini apabila mara ke peringkat suku akhir. Kien Keat-Boon Heong tampil rentak konsisten apabila mengetepikan cabaran pasangan Jepun, Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa 21-18, 21-18 pada aksi pu- singan kedua semalam. Beregu emas negara itu berpeluang untuk membalas dendam ke atas pasangan Indonesia, Angga Pratama-R...

ADIQ yang memiliki kekuatan dalam pendakian dilihat sebagai calon terbaik untuk menggalas cabaran negara pada Sukan Olimpik 2012 di London, Julai depan. PELUMBA muda negara, Muhd. Adiq Hussainie Othman kini dilihat sebagai antara calon pilihan utama daripada dua pelumba yang akan disenaraikan bagi menggalas cabaran Malaysia dalam acara lebuh raya di Sukan Olimpik 2012 London, Julai depan. Timbalan Presiden Persekutuan Kebangsaan Berbasikal Malaysia (PKBM), Datuk Naim Mohamad menjelaskan bahawa pelumba pasukan Champion System itu diberi keutamaan mengisi satu kuota berdasarkan laluan berbukit pada temasya di London nanti bersesuaian de- ngan kelebihannya sebagai pakar pendaki. "Sebenarnya masih terlalu awal untuk mengumumkan nama dua pelum- ba yang akan ke Olimpik nanti kerana Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Lebuh Raya dijangka akan membuat keputusan tersebut sebelum 15 Jun depan," kata Naim semalam. "Begitupun, memang benar Adiq Hussainie merupakan...

PETALING JAYA: The Harimau Muda will literally be lame tigers when they take on Hougang United in their S-League match at the Yishun Stadium tonight. The team will only have 14 players, including two goalkeepers, as several players are out injured and four regulars are with the national team. Defenders Mohd Fadhli Shas and Mahali Jasuli, winger Wan Zack HaikalWan Nor and striker Ahmad Hazwan Bakri have been called up for Malaysia’s friendly against Sri Lanka at Shah Alam Stadium tomorrow. Going all out: Harimau Muda’s Affize Faizal Mamat (right) is one of four defenders available for tonight’s S-League match against Hougang United. Six others – Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria, Gary Steven Robbat, Mohd Irfan Fazail, Mohd Amer Saidin, Fandi Othman and Amirzafran Nadris – are injured, while Mohd Syahid Zaidon, Izzaq Faris Ramlan and V. Kavichelvan are all still recovering from long-term injuries. However, Harimau Muda coach Ong Kim Swee is taking it all in his strid...

YOUNG Tigers A will attempt to return to winning ways in the S-League without several key players due to national call-up and injuries when they meet Hougang United at the Yishun Stadium today. Coach Ong Kim Swee's squad have been reduced to the bare bones with only 16 fit players to choose from as the squad's depth will be tested like never before. With defenders Mahali Jasuli and Fadhli Shas training with the senior national team ahead of tomorrow's international friendly against Sri Lanka and Amer Saidin injured, Kim Swee is forced to field a makeshift side against mid-table Hougang. Syazwan Tajuddin and Shahrul Saad will be paired off for the first time in central defence with Affize Faisal Mamat and Nazirul Naim Che Hashim filling in at fullback. The midfield and forward line too will feature changes as winger Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor and striker Ahmad Hazwan Bakri are on national duty while the likes of Gary Steven Robbat, Irfan Fazail, Fan...

MALACCA: Shazrul Imran Nazli and Shazril Irwan Nazli are set to be the first twins to represent Malaysia in hockey. The Perak-born boys will feature in the seventh edition of the Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament at the Bukit Serendit Stadium in Malacca from May 3-13. Besides the twins, the 2013 Project squad will also feature another pair of siblings – national players Faizal Saari and his younger brother Mohd Fitri. Faizal and Fitri featured in the Olympic qualifiers in Dublin last month. The team, however, failed to qualify for the London Games. Team manager Mirnawan Nawawi said the Nazli brothers have put Malaysia in the record books as being the first-ever twins to play for the nation. Making history: The Nazli twins – Shazril Irwan (right) and Shazrul Imran (inset) are in the national squad for the Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament starting next week.   “I hope they will play a big role and help Malaysia qualify for next year’s Junior World...

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian women’s hockey team suffered a double blow in the opening match of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Kaka-migahara, Japan, on Wednesday. Not only did they lose 4-0 to Azerbaijan, the team also lost key defender Sebah Anak Kari to a broken jaw. Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) senior vice-president S. Shamala said the 31-year-old Sarawakian was struck by a ball off a free hit by an Azerbaijan player in the first-half. “She was taken to the hospital where the doctor advised her to have her broken jaw operated on immediately. Sebah: Expected to undergo surgery in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.   “However, the ISN (National Sports Institute) medical personnel insisted on having the surgery done in Malaysia,” said Shamala. Arrangements are being made to fly Sebah back to Kuala Lumpur. “She will arrive on Saturday and head straight to the hospital,” said Shamala. “She is expected to undergo surgery on Monday. It’s really unfortu...

ROSMAN Razak was the surprise choice to replace Rexy Mainaky as the national women's doubles and mixed doubles chief coach after the BA of Malaysia (BAM) coaching and training committee (CTC) didn't consider Pang Cheh Chang for the job. Rosman Razak Rosman, who also had a stint as the women's doubles coach several years ago, is currently one of the men's doubles coaches and will begin his new job on Tuesday. CTC chairman Ng Chin Chai said Cheh Chang, who held the position before Rexy took over last September, was required to help men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and will continue assisting them until the Olympics in July. "Rosman will be the women's doubles and mixed doubles chief coach until the end of the year. He will specifically guide the women's doubles while Jeremy Gan will continue coaching the mixed doubles," said Chin Chai yesterday. "Chen Chang was shifted f...

KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s singles back-up shuttler Chong Wei Feng can still rejoice despite crashing out in the second round of the India Open in New Delhi. The left-handed Wei Feng is expected to be named as the reserve for the Thomas Cup Finals when the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announce the squad at their exco meeting today. The Thomas Cup Finals will be held in Wuhan, China, from May 20-27. The marked improvement in his game over the last three months should tip the scale in Wei Feng’s favour ahead of Misbun Ramdan Misbun, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Chan Kwong Beng. Wei Feng will join the trio of Lee Chong Wei, Liew Daren and Mohd Hafiz Hashim as the singles players in the squad. Yesterday, Wei Feng stole one game before losing 13-21, 21-8, 12-21 to world No. 16 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the India Open. Wei Feng, whose world ranking has improved from 57th to 46th over the last two months, also gave a positive display before bowing out...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s back-up pair of Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem put on an awesome show to reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals in the India Open at New Delhi but national doubles chief coach Tan Kim Her does not want them to get overly excited just yet. Khim Wah-V Shem dumped world No. 6 Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano of Indonesia 13-21, 21-19, 21-18 in the second round of the Super Series event yesterday for a timely boost ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals next month. This is their second win over Indonesia’s top pair, having stunned them at the SEA Games in Jakarta last November. Khim Wah-V Shem, the world No. 30, will take on Russians Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov for a place in the semi-finals of a Super Series event for the first time. Smashing pair: Lim Khim Wah (right) and Goh V Shem stunned world No. 6 Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano of Indonesia 13-21, 21-19, 21-18 in the second round of the India Open yesterday.   Their seniors, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heo...

NEW DELHI, 26 April (Bernama) -- Sungguhpun fikirannya tertumpu kepada Olimpik London 2012 untuk menyumbangkan pingat emas sulung kepada Malaysia, pemain nombor satu dunia, Datuk Lee Chong Wei akan tetap memberi persembahan terbaik pada kejohanan Piala Thomas 2012 yang akan diadakan di Wuhan, China. "Masih ada 92 hari lagi. Saya akan berlepas 10 hari lebih awal ke England untuk tujuan latihan. Saya harap dapat bermain dengan baik dan bergembira dalam Olimpik saya yang terakhir ini," katanya. Olimpik London bermula pada 27 Julai. Meskipun kesemua lawannya yang handal akan turut mengambil bahagian dalam Olimpik London, Chong Wei memberitahu pemberita di sini beliau tidak terlalu memikirkan sangat mengenainya. Chong Wei bercakap kepada pemberita selepas menumpaskan pemain India, Ajay Jayaram untuk mara ke suku akhir Terbuka India. "Saya mahu bermain dengan baik dan bergembira dengan permainan ini," ulang beliau ketika ditanya lagi meng...

NEW DELHI, 26 April (Bernama) -- Hanya Datuk Lee Chong Wei menggalas cabaran negara manakala dua pemain gagal melepasi saingan peringkat kedua acara perseorangan lelaki pada Kejohanan Badminton Terbuka India hari Khamis. Chong Wei yang membuat penampilan pertama pada kejohanan utama sejak baru pulih dari kecederaan bahu semasa Kejohanan All-England, melangkah ke suku akhir manakala Chong Wei Feng dan Muhammad Hafiz Hashim tersingkir. "Sekarang semua baik tetapi saya sedikit fobia dan berhati-hati semasa melakukan pukulan kencang," katanya kepada pemberita ketika ditanya mengenai tahap pemulihan kecederaan bahunya. Selaku juara bertahan dan pilihan utama, Chong Wei meranap harapan peminat tempatan apabila menumpaskan pemain tuan rumah Ajay Jayaram 21-16, 15-21, 21-5 sebelum berdepan sama ada dengan Taufik Hidayat dari Indonesia atau pemain China Wang Zhengming. Wei Feng, pemain pelapis negara, kalah kepada pemain Denmark, Hans Kristian Vittingh...

NEW DELHI, April 26 (Bernama) - Although his mind is focused delivering the country's first ever gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, world number one, Datuk Lee Chong Wei pledged to give his best in the Thomas Cup final to be held in Wuhan, China. "There are still 92 days. I will leave 10 days earlier to England for training purposes. I hope to play well and enjoy my last Olympics," he said referring to the London Olympics that starts on July 27. Speaking to reporters after beating India's Ajay Jayaram to move into the quarter finals of the India Open here today, Chong Wei said although all the other strong rivals would also participate in the London Olympics, he was not going to think too much of them. "I want to play well and enjoy the game," he reiterated when pressed further on his possible opponents, especially with China expected to field three players in the men's singles. Speaking of the Thomas Cup campaign, he s...

NEW DELHI, April 26 (Bernama) -- Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the sole survivor in the Indian Open Badminton Championships as three Malaysian players were shown the exit in the men's singles competition. Chong Wei, the world number one, playing his first major tournament since suffering a shoulder injury during the All England championships in England, moved into the quarterfinals while Chong Wei Feng and Mohd Hafiz Hashim crashed out. "Now, everything is okay but I still have a bit of phobia and being careful when I want to smash," he told reporters when asked about his injured shoulder. Defending champion and the top seed here, Chong Wei dashed the hopes of the local fans by beating Ajay Jayaram (India) 21-16, 15-21, 21-5 in three sets and will face either Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat or China's Wang Zhengming. "I think he sustained the same focus and intensity throughout the match while I fluctuated. Chong Wei's advantage is also ...

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Defending champions Pahang are on a roll in the ongoing 16th National Silat Championshion at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium here. Five of their exponents advanced to the semifinals in the silat olahraga category namely Ahmad Shahriduan Zailudin in Kelas Putra D (60-65kg), Mohd Yusrizal Abdul Latiff (Kelas Putra E -65-70kg), Mohd Saiful Riduan Rahmat (Kelas Putra H - 80-85kg), Ahmad Badrirullah Rahmat (Kelas Putra F - 70-75kg) and Aznirah Hanum Sekeni (Kelas Putri A -40-45kg). Meanwhile, the silat seni category kicked off tonight and the preliminary round will be completed tomorrow.

NEW DELHI, April 26 (Bernama) -- Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the sole survivor in the Indian Open Badminton Championships as three Malaysian players were shown the exit in the men's singles competition. Chong Wei, the world number one, playing his first major tournament since suffering a shoulder injury during the All England championships in England, moved into the quarterfinals while Chong Wei Feng and Mohd Hafiz Hashim crashed out. "Now, everything is okay but I still have a bit of phobia and being careful when I want to smash," he told reporters when asked about his injured shoulder. Defending champion and the top seed here, Chong Wei dashed the hopes of the local fans by beating Ajay Jayaram (India) 21-16, 15-21, 21-5 in three sets and will face either Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat or China's Wang Zhengming. "I think he sustained the same focus and intensity throughout the match while I fluctuated. Chong Wei's advantage is also ...

SEMPORNA, April 26 (Bernama) -- The inaugural international cycling event in Sabah, the Tour of Borneo (TOB) offers an exciting event for spectators as well as participants. "Hosting an international cycling event for the first time in Sabah was a privilege for the Sabah people as it will generate interest or influence the younger generation to start cycling. "As the event travels across most main districts in Sabah, I hope that more fans will come out to support and cheer for the participating teams," said TOB Chief Executive Officer Datuk James Ligunjang in his speech at the team presentation ceremony held here, tonight. The 2.2 category Tour, sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and listed in the UCI Asian Tour calendar, will feature 19 teams. James noted that the is hoped to promote Sabah as the ultimate sports tourism destination in Malaysia. He said among the organiser's main objective was to promote interest in ...

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- The Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) has appointed Rosman Razak as the new head coach of the national women and mixed double squads, succeeding Indonesian Rexy Mainaky, starting next month. BAM honorary-secretary Ng Chin Chai said Rosman would be assisted by national mixed doubles coach, Jeremy Gan, when taking charge of 14 shutters under his care. "We look internally, we look at seniority, ability, good service and we also get good feedback from the players. With all these elements we have decided to choose Rosman," he told reporters here Thursday. Rexy had announced his resignation as badminton head coach of the national women's and mixed double squads and accepted an offer as coaching director of the Philippines Badminton Association for two years, beginning next month.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- The National Sports Council (NSC) Paralympic Branch is targeting to get four more B category athletes to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Its director, Mohd Safrushahar Yusoff so far, two B category athletes, Mohd Azlan Mohd Lazim (men's 100m F36/body impairment) and Amir Firdaus (men's long jump (F38/body impairment) exceeded the minimum standard of the qualification A (MQSA) to earn their tickets to represent the country. They achieved the MQSA's mark set up by the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) at the Malaysian Open Paralympic Athletics Championship at the NSC Mini Stadium today. "So far, 15 category A paralympic athletes had passed the MQSA and we hope more paralympic athletes could be selected on merits to go to London," Mohd Safrushahar told Bernama today.

OFFER: Company prepared to match Government's incentive AN OLYMPIC gold medal could be worth RM2 million to a Malaysian athlete if an unidentified private company's offer of matching the National Sports Council's (NSC) RM1 million incentive comes to fruition. Deputy Sports Minister Senator Gan Ping Sieu said the company approached the Sports Ministry seeking a way to contribute to Malaysia's Olympic gold medal dream and may stump up RM1 million of its own money as reward for a gold medal. "We are always looking for sponsors to provide incentives to motivate our athletes and one such company has offered RM1 million to a Malaysian Olympic gold medalist. "It is a very big company but we are still working out the details of how and who should get the reward, whether just the first gold medalists, all gold medalists or all medalists," said Gan, who added that an announcement will be made soon, after launching the NSC-100Plus "Jejak ...

KUALA LUMPUR: Night training will be part of national archer Cheng Chu Sian’s preparations for the Olympic Games after struggling with blurry vision during the World Cup in Shanghai last week. Chu Sian, who had undergone surgery for retinal detachment in his left eye, had found it hard to focus during his semi-final against eventual champion Brady Ellison of the United States – especially when the contest was held almost close to dusk. “The weather was cold and the sun went down about 5pm daily in Shanghai. During the semi-finals, there was a delay and the organisers set up spotlights so that the competition could go on. It affected my vision and I was unable to stay focused,” said Chu Sian after the launch of the NSC-100Plus Road to London television series at Bukit Jalil yesterday. Eye on safety: Cheng Chu Sian does not drive much at night anymore due to his blurry vision   A day later, under bright sunlight, he came back stronger to nail his first ev...

CHENG Chu Sian will be relieved to know that the London Olympics archery programme is to be held during the day after his night-vision problem denied him a place in the World Cup final in Shanghai earlier this month. Cheng Chu Sian is suffering from a night-vision problem.  The national archer, who recently underwent retina detachment surgery to close the breaks in his left retina, had never disclosed his condition publicly until met by reporters in Bukit Jalil yesterday. A double gold medalist at the Indonesia Sea Games last year, Chu Sian inadvertently let it slip that his poor night-vision cost him a possible World Cup victory when asked to comment on his performance in Shanghai, where he finished third in the individual recurve for a new personal best at a World Cup event. "It was very cold there, colder than usual. We have been to Shanghai before but it was not as cold. I adapted after a while but my teammates were not ...

FOCUS: Rajagobal assures back-to-back ties will have no effect on squad Manchester City FC chief brand and commercial officer Ian Cafferky (second from left) presents a Manchester City jersey to Datuk K. Rajagobal (second from right) at their meeting at the Palace of Golden Horses yesterday. Looking on are Manchester City sales marketing manager Omar Berrada (left) and FAM vice-president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal. Pic by Yazit Razali NATIONAL coach Datuk K. Rajagobal brushed off fears that the back-to-back matches against Arsenal and Manchester City, slated for July, would affect his team's focus and preparation for the AFF Cup. His team's failure to overcome Singapore in the World Cup qualifiers last July was largely due to their involvement in exhibition matches against Arsenal and Liverpool, which were played in the same month. "Those matches might have had affected my players. We, however, have enough time to pr...

THE Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) wants the national squad to improve their world ranking by putting up a good performance at the 2012 World Lawn Bowl Championships in Adelaide, Australia on Nov 26-Dec 11. MLBF honorary secretary Ramble Dallan Rice-Oxley said Malaysia finished third overall in the 2009 World Championships. "We hope to improve on that position and finish on top," he said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Ramble said MLBF had selected eight men and eight women bowlers to lead the country's medal charge. Among those selected are Khairul Anuar Abd Kadir, Mohd Azwan Shuhaimi, Emma Firyana Saroji, Noor Zafirah Mohd Noor, Zuraini Khalid, Auni Fatihiah Kamis, Nabila Mokhtar and Maisarah Aminludin. "Ninety percent of the bowlers are new faces and coached by Dr Simon Botha from South Africa and assisted by local coach Zuraidi Puteh," he said. Ramble said during the Asian Lawn Bowls Championships held at the Bukit Ki...

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia got off to a bad start in the Olympic hockey qualifying tournament in Kakamigahara, Japan, yesterday. The national women’s team, who have yet to feature in the Olympics, were outplayed 4-0 by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan skipper Khatira Aliyeva scored a brace (17th and 31st) while the other goals were netted by Myungsoon Mammadova (45th) and Yuliya Muradi (56th). National coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli said in a telephone interview that they lost because of defensive errors. “The chilly conditions also affected the team as the players are not used to such cold weather,” said Nasihin, a former international. “We started well by creating a few chances but the Azerbaijan goalkeeper (Viktoriya Shahbazova) did well to stop all our attempts. “Some of our players also suffered minor injuries in the match. However, we will try to rectify the mistakes and put up a better show against Japan on Friday,” said Nasihin. In other matches, topseeds Japan trounc...