Malaysian Sports - Today's back pages!

RAY ROBERTS SLOW winds at the start of the inaugural round-the-island race failed to thwart the Aussie skippered-Quantum Racing from cruising to victory at day three of the Langkawi International Regatta yesterday. Ray Roberts’ Quantum Racing, which won the regatta last year, finished the 28-nautical mile sail round Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Singa Besar in 3 hours 40 minutes, 18 minutes ahead of three hours and fouty five minutes ahead of fellowAustralian Peter Ahern’s YO!2. which clocked three hours fifty eight minutes. Yesterday’s result has left Quantum Racing, which won the Phuket King’s Cup race in December and the O-class of the Sydney-Hobart Race recently, leading the pack in the Racing class with 10 penalty points. Hi Fi, skippered by New Zealander Neil Pryde, is a close second with 12 penalty points after having finished yesterday’s race third. Jelik, with Hong Kong multi millionaire Frank Pong at the helm, is third in the group with 13 points, followed b...

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 3 (Bernama)-- Three teams shared the lead after collecting two points a piece on Day One of the 2008 Monsoon Cup sailing competition in Pulau Duyong here Wednesday. After three rounds using the round robin format on a one-to-one basis, Torvar Mirsky of the Mirsky Racing Team (Australia) got the precious points when they defeated French Spirit skippered by Mathieu Richard and Team Origin of Britain helmed by Ben Ainslie. Accompanying them were Shosholoza captained by Italian Paolo Cian and Team Origin (Ainslie). Cian who is ranked eighth in the World Match Race Tour (WMRT) derailed the plans of French Spirit and collected his second point when meeting Magnus Holmberg's Victory Challenge. Ainslie earned his two points against Sebastian Col's K Challenge (France) and Swede Johnie Berntsson's Berntsson Sailing Team. Malaysia's representative, woman skipper Nurul Ain Md Isa and her Perak Sailing Team were no match for the Pizza-La Sailing team skip...

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 3 (Bernama)-- The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Wednesday opened the Monsoon Cup Yachting Race 2008, the last circuit of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), held at Pulau Duyong here. The five-day race commencing today, which is the fourth to be held at Pulau Duyong since 2005, will see 12 teams from all over the world competing for the Monsoon Cup and for placing in the WMRT 2007/2008. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, accompanied by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah, was greeted on arrival at the Club House arena of the Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort and Spa at about 2.45 pm by the Head of the Terengganu Regency Advisory Council, Tengku Sri Panglima Raja Tengku Baderulzaman and other members of the Council. Before the opening ceremony, all the 12 participating teams were taken in a convoy to the Dataran Shahbandar together with the trophy for the Monsoon Cup WMRT Crystal Cup for a special session to meet the local residents. The Monsoon Cup Troph...

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Sabah may host the Monsoon Cup Sailing Championship next year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. She said the final decision rest with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The Tourism Ministry has proposed the event not to be held at the same place every year but instead rotated among certain states, Azalina told reporters after holding a dialogue with non-government organisations and Sabah tour and travel agencies at Sutera Harbour Resort here, Sunday. "Datuk Masidi Manjun (Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister) and me will discuss the proposal with the prime minister at the closing of the Monsoon Cup in Terengganu early next month," said Azalina. She cited Sutera Harbour Resort as a suitable venue for the event should Sabah host the championship as the hotel could accommodate the participants and visitors. -- BERNAMA

KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- As expected, SEA Games yachting athlete, Nurul Ain Md Isa, emerged as champion at the Malaysian Monsoon Cup Qualifying round at Pulau Duyong, near here which ended Wednesday. The victory enabled the sole female yachtsman at the three-day championship to compete in the Monsoon Cup Yachting Race from Dec 3 to 7. Representing the Perak Yachting Team, the 23-year-old yachtsman, however, was given a tough fight by Razman Mat Ali, from the KFC-Malaysian Yachting Association, at the final stage before winning 2-1. In third place was Mohamad Razali Mansor, from the Navy 1 team, who beat Mohd Masyuri Rahmat 2-1, from the Navy 2 team. When met by reporters, Nurul Ain said she did not expect to win and qualify for the Monsoon Cup in her first appearance in the championship. -- BERNAMA