Malaysia clicnh 4 of 5 gold medals to dominate badminton in Isle of Man
Malaysia underlined its domination of badminton events at the Youth
Commonwealth Games in the Isle of Man by sweeping four of the five gold
medals at stake.
The near clean sweep in badminton saw Malaysia move up to eighth spot
in the medals tally with four gold, two silver and bronze, all from
badminton.
Selangor is counting on national striker Safee Sali and two imported
international players to strengthen the team against Singapore in the
Selangor Sultan”s Cup at Shah Alam Stadium on Oct 1.
Championship committee chairman, Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar said his
side would seek the permission of the Selangor Football Association
(FAS) to bring home Safee from the Pelita Jaya Club of Indonesia to
boost the Red Giant.
He said, the two international players who had played in the English
Premier League had also been identified, and, his side would make an
announcement, after getting a written consent from them.
Kelantan were crowned the Super League champion 2011 after edging Sabah 2-1 at the Likas Stadium, Kota Kinabalu tonight.
The Red warriors, who collected 56 points, pipped first runners-up Terengganu by three points and reigning Selangor by four points.
The victory enabled Kelantan, who finished second last season, to book a berth in the AFC Cup 2012.
Kelantan will bag RM500,000 while Terengganu RM300,000 at a prize-giving ceremony at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya on Friday.
Despite not being selected to train with the senior cycling squad under national coach John Beasley in Melbourne, Australia, national cyclist Ju Pha Som Net remains psyched to train locally.
Ju Pha, 18, said she will continue training like normal and is excited to to prepare for the fourth Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in the Isle of Man this September.
"What”s important is that I train diligently to do Malaysia proud at an international level,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.
Malaysia advanced to the second round of the 2014 World Cup Asian Zone Qualifier despite losing 2-3 to Taiwan in the return leg of the first round qualifier in Taipei tonight.
Having won the first leg 2-1 here on Wednesday, the aggregate ended up 4-4 but Malaysia qualified on the away-goal rule.
Malaysia will play Singapore next in the city-state on July 23 with the return leg scheduled for July 29 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here.
The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) will only list the divers for the SEA Games in Palembang and Jakarta by September.
Asum Honorary Secretary, Edwin Chong said they would be taking part in other competitions, including the 14th FINA World Championship in Shanghai from July 16 to 30, before the SEA Games in November.
"We will only choose the best divers who are really prepared to bring back medals in this edition of the SEA Games,” he told Bernama yesterday.
Eighth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova showed the greater will, ambition and control of her nerves to overcome Victoria Azarenka 6-1 3-6 6-2 in a topsy-turvy encounter at Wimbledon on Thursday as she reached her first grand slam final.
The Czech, also a semi-finalist last year, dominated the first set but then lost her way as the Belarussian fourth seed took the second in her first grand slam last four appearance after four previous quarter-final defeats.
Some 250 participants from five Asian countries will be participating in this year’s edition of Skate Malaysia at the Sunway Pyramid Ice Rink here beginning yesterday till Sunday.
Sunway Pyramid Chief Executive Officer, HC Chan said the competition brought together 11 rinks from Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
For the third time, Seri Selangor Golf Club will host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Asian Qualifier.
According to the Asian Tour in its official website, the four-day Asian qualifier will be held at club located in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, beginning Aug 3.
The top three nations will compete in the US$7.5 million (about RM22.6 million) Omega Mission Hills World Cup at Mission Hills Resort on Hainan Island, China between Nov 24 and 27.
Over 150 participants from eight countries are expected for Asia Motocross Championship at Gong Badak Sports Complex here on July 14-16.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said said the participants are from Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, China, Japan and Iran.
"This is the first time that such an event is held in Terengganu,” he told reporters after chairing the State Exco meeting at Wisma Darul Iman here today.
The Education Ministry will ensure that the ”1Murid 1Sukan” (1M1S) policy to be introduced next year become the prime mover of unity among students.
Education deputy director-general Datuk Asariah Meor Shaharuddin said it has been proven that sports can unite people of various races in the country.
“Sports can foster friendship and teamwork as well as produce athletes of calibre up to international level,” she said when closing the National Conference on Physical Education at Sultan Mizan Teachers Training Institute here today.
The national sepak takraw squad to the 2011 ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup must aim to be champions as Malaysia are the hosts of the maiden championship, said Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim. The championship will be held at the Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur from July 21 to 24.
Malaysia”s coach Datuk K.Rajagobal is confident that Malaysia will prevail when they take on Taiwan in the second leg match of their 2014 Asian Zone World Cup Qualifier in Taipei on Sunday.
Malaysia edged Taiwan 2-1 in the first leg at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tonight.
"We did not lose or draw. The win today was a good result. Some changes have to be made because of injuries but nevertheless, I am confident we will advance to the next round,” he said at the post-match press conference.
The National netball squad hope to make their presence felt at the 13th World Netball Championships in Singapore from July 3 to 10, although Malaysia are not among the favourites.
Malaysian Netball Association president Suraya Yaacob said she hoped the national squad would be able to compete against teams drawn together in Group D, England, Malawi and Barbados.
Suraya said by competing and doing well in the world meet, Malaysia would be able to improve on its ranking from the current 22nd spot to maybe 12.
National captain Safiq Rahim is confident that his team-mates will draw their first blood when they play against Taiwan in the first leg of the World Cup qualifying match, tomorrow.
"A win in front of the home crowd is important to give us the advantage before the return leg.
"Our focus is not just on tomorrow”s match. We want to qualify for the World Cup”s final round.
"We want to emulate the success of the national Olympic squad who had qualified for the third round of the Olympics 2012,” he told Bernama at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya today.
Malaysian World number one Datuk Nicol David, playing her first Australian Open, will face New Zealand”s Kylie Lindsay in the first round, while second seed Jenny Duncalf of England takes on a qualifier in Canberra from August 8-14.
Defending champion Madeline Perry of Northern Ireland takes on Malaysia”s Siti Munirah Jusoh and Hong Kong”s Annie Au plays a qualifier while New Zealand”s Joelle King faces Gaby Huber of Switzerland.
Sebastian Vettel was crowned Formula One’s world champion-elect on Monday as his outclassed rivals conceded he has an unassailable 77-points lead in this year’s title race.
The 26-year-old German, who has reeled off an unparalleled run of six wins and two second places in the opening eight races this year, crushed his challengers’ spirits with a flawless triumph for Red Bull in Sunday’s European Grand Prix.
Afterwards, as the champagne flowed and he promised it was too early to do anything other than take each race at a time, his competitors could do little but shake their heads in impotent dismay.
Legendary Argentine football giants River Plate were relegated from the country’s top division Sunday for the first time in their 110-year history, amid tears and scenes of violent mayhem.
The Buenos Aires team are Argentina’s most successful club with 33 championships to their name, and their rivalry with Boca Juniors, based in the same city, is one of the most intense in all sport.
But there will be no Superclasicos next season unless the two sides draw each other in a cup competition, after River Plate were held 1-1 at home in the second leg of a promotion-relegation playoff with lowly Belgrano de Cordoba.
Maria Sharapova downed China’s Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-2 in the Wimbledon fourth round on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006.
The first set was a closely-fought affair with little between the Russian fifth seed and the Chinese number two, but the 2004 Wimbledon champion was able to impose herself much more in the second set against the 20th seed.
“It’s great,” Sharapova said after wrapping up victory in an hour and 21 minutes.
“I’m giving myself an opportunity to go even further so I’m quite happy about that.
Manchester United winger Nani has no plans to quit the English champions following the signing of Ashley Young last week, telling Reuters on Monday he welcomed the competition for a place in the starting lineup at Old Trafford.
Nani had been linked with a move away from Old Trafford by British media andadmitted that watching games from the bench was “boring” but the Portuguese said he was looking forward to meeting his new team mate.
Richard Gasquet might spend his day off on Sunday tracking down a pair of earplugs in Wimbledon Village in preparation for his tantalising fourth-round showdown with Andy Murray.
Three years ago the duo also clashed at the All England Club at the same stage and the one abiding memory Gasquet has of that encounter is the deafening roar that greeted every winning shot produced by Murray.
“I remember the crowd were very impressive. We’re told all the time, the English, Wimbledon, it’s quiet. But it was incredible. A lot people were cheering for him,” the Frenchman recalled of the tussle which he ended up losing in five sets.
Former Olympic champion Laure Manaudou of France said on Sunday she will come out of retirement, joining a growing list of swimmers returning to the pool before the 2012 London Games.
“Yes, the will to resume competing is back,” Manaudou told Sunday paper Le Journal du dimanche. “I need time. I’m not yet at world-championship level but I will work on it.”
The 24-year-old Frenchwoman won gold in the 400 metres freestyle at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She announced her retirement in 2009, in the wake of disappointing results at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has left “wounds” on the national team which won the 2010 World Cup that need to be healed.
The two clubs — which supplied the bulk of Spain’s line-up at the tournament in South Africa last year — were involved in a series of spiky exchanges before their series of four matches in the space of 18 days in April and May.
Real coach Jose Mourinho was handed a five-game ban by UEFA after he made allegations of favouritism towards Barcelona following Real’s 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
Red Bull’s Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel turned the European Grand Prix into a stroll in the Spanish sunshine on Sunday as he racked up his sixth victory in eight races this season.
Taking the chequered flag 10.8 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who at least gave the home crowd something to be excited about, the 23-year-old German was dominant from pole to finish.
“This is the best one so far,” he shouted over the team radio after he crossed the line, even if millions of spectators might disagree after an afternoon with fewer thrills than in a single lap of the Canadian race two weeks ago.
Another match, another victory and Datuk Lee Chong Wei is the winner of the men singles crown at the Indonesian Open at the Istora Senayan here today.
A comprehensive 21-11,21-17 win over Denmarks Peter Gade in the final has given Chong Wei his third title in a row and an accomplishement which will go down in the history books of the Indonesian Badminton Open.
After all he is the first non-Indonesian to have won the men’s singles crown for the third consecutive time to take his rightful place alongside local heroes like Ardy Wiranata and Taufik Hidayat who had achieved a similiar feat.
Troubled US starlet Lindsay Lohan is due back in court Thursday for breaching probation after failing an alcohol test while already on home detention, officials and reports said.
A court hearing will determine if Lohan, currently serving 35 days of home custody with an electronic ankle bracelet, breached the terms of her probation for a 2007 drunk driving incident, the LA District Attorney’s office said.
DA office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said she did not know the exact nature of the alleged violation, but the TMZ celebrity news website said it was because Lohan tested positive for alcohol in the past week.
Rafa Nadal continues the defence of his Wimbledon title on Wednesday with a second-round match against Ryan Sweeting, one of a number of Americans hoping to seize the limelight on the third day of the grasscourt grand slam.
After Serena Williams’s tearful first-round victory on Tuesday, her fashionista sister Venus can put further verve into the previously flagging women’s game when she takes on Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm first up on Centre Court.
Datuk Lee Chong Wei is asking for the support of the Indonesian fans as he seeks to win his third consecutive men singles Indonesian Open title.
He is on the right path after beating Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto 21-16,21-8 in his opening round match at the Istora Senayan here yesterday .
Andre Villas-Boas became the seventh manager of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea on Wednesday as the 33-year-old, who resigned from Porto on Tuesday, agreed to a three-year contract at the west London club.
Villas-Boas, who led Porto to a domestic double as well as winning the Europa League last season, replaces Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked in May after failing to win a trophy in his second season having won the Premier League and FA Cup in his first.
Lin Dan made an early exit from the Indonesian Open and suddenly the badminton world is seeing the Chinese superstar in a different light.
It”s rare to have Lin Dan out of a championship in the second round but that was what exactly happened at the Istora Senayan here today.
Japan”s Sho Sasaki,a journeyman in the world circuit, carved out a 21-12,21-18 win over Lin Dan in their round of sixteen match today, leaving the Chinese ace staring at a rare defeat.
Malaysia advanced to the third round of the Asian level qualifier of the 2012 Olympics after defeating Lebanon 2-1 for an aggregate of the same in their second leg match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tonight.
Mohd Irfan Fazail and Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria were the heroes for Malaysia scoring in the seventh and 40th minutes respectively.
In the first leg held at the Sports City Stadium in Beirut on Sunday, coach Ong Kim Swee”s boys had held the hosts to a goalless draw.
