The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- History beckons as Kimbeley attempts SEA Games feat
- Bigger and stronger KLRC stay true to their objective
- Zakry-Fairuzizuan secure package to boost Olympic hopes
| History beckons as Kimbeley attempts SEA Games feat Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:13 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Kimbeley Yap will etch a place in history as the first Malaysian athlete to compete in three different sports in the SEA Games come November. The former national swimmer and also two-time triathlon gold medallist will compete in the road cycling events of the Indonesia SEA Games in Bandung. And Kimbeley, who is the half-sister of multiple SEA Games swimming gold medallist Daniel Bego, is keeping her fingers crossed that it will be a memorable outing for her. "I have competed in many SEA Games but it's a new and different challenge each time. I missed the Games in Laos two years ago as I had to go for surgery to correct a slipped disc," said Kimbeley, who returned home from a national road training camp in Chiang Mai last week. "I thought my hopes were ruined again when I crashed in a race in Vietnam last month, which affected my back a bit. "I went for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) immediately after I got back and, luckily, there was no serious injury. I am doing the road time trial and road race as well for the SEA Games." The 26-year-old has certainly come a long way since making her SEA Games debut in 2001 in Kuala Lumpur as a swimmer, winning two bronze medals as part of the relay squad. Kimbeley went on to win the women's triathlon gold medal when the sport made its Games debut in Manila in 2005 and retained her title in Korat two years later. The event was not included in the programme in Laos but Kimbeley had already begun her foray into cycling by then. Ironically, cycling used to be her weakest discipline when she was a triathlete. But she is beginning to see the fruits of her labour, which culminated with her breakthrough success in the national championships in Raub in June. "That was my first national road race victory and it was good for the morale. I was unsure of where I was going when I started to take cycling seriously but there is more attention given to women's cycling now," said Kimbeley, who feels that the training stint in Chiang Mai has provided her with a better idea of the challenges ahead at the SEA Games. The terrain in Chiang Mai is quite similar to the SEA Games road competitions in Bandung, which is about two hours by road from Jakarta.The terrain is expected to favour the mountain climbers rather than sprinters. Others expected to make the women's cycling team for the SEA Games are Mariana Mohamad, Maszyiaton Mohd Radzi, Mardiana Mohd Radzi and Ju Pha Somnet. |
| Bigger and stronger KLRC stay true to their objective Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:13 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: It has been six years since KLRC's humble beginnings as a professional badminton club. They may have grown stronger and bigger by the year, but their objective – giving shuttlers a second chance – has not changed. And this was evident with their latest recruitment of former internationals Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari. With the duo's inclusion, KLRC now have 16 professional players – both local and international – in their fold. They are also placing more focus on their junior programme. KLRC owner Datuk Seri Andrew Kam said they would continue to offer a new lease of life to those hoping for a second chance. "We started modestly in 2005 as a small outfit ... but now we are where we are because we continue to give opportunities to players. Sometimes, a player goes through a slump and struggles for a while. "All he or she needs is a second chance to get it right," said Andrew. "Here, at KLRC, we give them that opportunity to rebound and excel. We are happy that Zakry and Fairuzizuan have joined us on their own accord. "We will do our part to help them realise their dreams of qualifying for the Olympic Games. "We have no intention of competing with BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia). "This has not changed over the years and we will continue to complement the national body's efforts as far as the development of the game is concerned." Asked if KLRC would hire Razif Sidek as one of their coaches, Andrew said: "I hear that Zakry and Fairuzizuan want Razif to be their coach. "I am open to discussion with Razif. It is important to give what the players want – especially if they are comfortable with the coach." Razif has decided to coach Zakry-Fairuzizuan on his own accord, for now. Should he be roped into KLRC, he will then be able to guide Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen as well. |
| Zakry-Fairuzizuan secure package to boost Olympic hopes Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:12 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Doubles shuttlers Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari secured two great deals yesterday to boost their chances of qualifying for next year's London Olympic Games as independent players. Firstly, Zakry-Fairuzizuan announced their decision to join professional club KLRC. Then, the duo confirmed that former doubles maestro Razif Sidek would be their personal coach. The experienced duo left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) set-up after the World Championships recently. It enabled Zakry and Fairuzizuan to be reunited as a pair following national chief coach Rexy Mainaky's decision to make them play with Hoon Thien How and Ong Soon Hock respectively a year ago. Fairuzizuan said that they "chose KLRC as it offered us the best package". "We have joined KLRC to continue our journey as players with the ultimate aim of qualifying for next year's Olympic Games. The deal will see us competing in many international tournaments with the cost fully funded by KLRC," said Fairuzizuan. The duo will compete in nine tournaments in the next three months, starting with the Indonesia Grand Prix Gold in Kalimantan from Sept 27-Oct 2. This will be followed by four Opens in France, Denmark, Hong Kong and China and four Grand Prix Gold events in Germany, Macau, South Korea and India. "Our decision to join KLRC is not to show that we are against BAM. In fact, we only met all the respective parties after getting the green light from the national body to leave the team," said Fairuzizuan. Zakry believes that Razif's presence would also help strengthen their bid to feature in the Olympic Games for the first time. "We want to qualify this time after missing out on the last Olympic Games. We are thrilled that Razif has agreed to help us. It's good to have someone of his calibre to guide and coach us. He has not asked for any money ... all he wants is our commitment to give our best in training," said Zakry, who won the back-to-back Indonesia and Singapore Opens with Fairuzizuan in 2007. "We may be independent players but our commitment has not changed. In fact, we are more motivated to prove ourselves." Razif said he was looking forward to coaching again after leaving the national team in 1997 – the same year that Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock won a silver medal at the World Championships. "My passion for the game has brought me back to coaching. They (Zakry and Fairuzizuan) met me and I have agreed to coach them. I want to help them realise their dreams," said Razif, who trains his seven-year-old son Mohd Fazriq at the New Vision Badminton Academy in Petaling Jaya daily. "All I have asked from them is their commitment to training. They have to start from scratch ... but I have confidence in them." Asked why he did not offer his services to the BAM, Razif said: "I had approached them several times but they did not show any interest. "Now, I have a pair who is willing to learn and I am ready to help them." |
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