The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Azizul raises hope of higher gold haul in Asian meet
- Happy ending for paddler Sock Khim after starting year on low note
- Coaches and former internationals can still play part in 1Mas
| Azizul raises hope of higher gold haul in Asian meet Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:14 PM PST PETALING JAYA: The presence of track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang will boost Malaysia's hopes of improving on the single gold-medal haul in the Asian Cycling Championships at the Cheras Velodrome in Kuala Lumpur in February. Malaysia last hosted the Asian meet in 2006 and two-time World Championships silver medallist Azizul, who is making a comeback after his career-threatening calf injury at the start of the year, has the chance to kickstart what will be an important season to him on a perfect note. Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) deputy president Datuk Naim Mohamad said Azizul is coming back to Kuala Lumpur from his Melbourne training base to compete in the Asian meet from Feb 8-18. The road disciplines will be held in Putrajaya with the Asian junior meet running concurrently. "Coach John Beasley now wants Azizul and the rest of the Melbourne-based cyclists like Josiah Ng and Fatehah Mustapa to compete in the Asian championships as it will be a good gauge of their physical form after a month of intensive training. "They will skip the third leg of the World Cup in Beijing next month but will go for the final round of the World Cup in London, which will be held on the newly built velodrome hosting the Olympics later in the year. "Azizul should put up a stronger challenge at the Asian championships compared to his two earlier outings in the World Cups in Kazakhstan and Cali as we expect him to be back at his previous best before the calf injury. "We hope Azizul can regain his Asian title in the keirin or sprints. There's also extra incentive as the winner of the individual disciplines earns direct qualification to the World Championships in Melbourne in April," he said. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Happy ending for paddler Sock Khim after starting year on low note Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:13 PM PST PETALING JAYA: Paddler Ng Sock Khim may have started the year on a low note but she is bidding goodbye to it on a high. The 26-year-old, representing Kedah, claimed her third women's singles crown at the National Table Tennis Championships in Ipoh over the weekend with a hard fought 4-3 win over fellow national player Chiu Soo Jiin. It was a most satisfying triumph for Sock Khim, who also won in 2007 and 2008, as she only returned to training in October after undergoing a career-saving knee operation six months earlier. Sock Khim, who led the women's team to their first-ever bronze medal at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, came down with the injury while playing at the national championships last year and her condition took a turn for the worse early in the season. She opted to go under the knife and was forced to give up the chance to feature in the recent Indonesia SEA Games. "It wasn't the first time I tore my knee ligament. "I had my first knee injury two years ago just before the Laos SEA Games and had to opt out then as well," she said. "The injury is more serious the second time around. "I had to decide between either going for surgery or not playing competitively anymore. "Having the operation meant a long rehabilitation period and missing the SEA Games for the second time. But there was no avoiding it if I wanted to continue playing with the national team. "I'm glad that it has all worked out fine. I'm thrilled to win my first competition after being out for so long," said Sock Khim, who fought her way to a surprise silver at the 2007 SEA Games in Korat. Regaining her national title has whetted Sock Khim's appetite and she is eager to make up for lost time by winning more honours next year. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Coaches and former internationals can still play part in 1Mas Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:15 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Former internationals and accredited coaches can still play a part in the 1Mas programme by setting up their own coaching sub-centres to help develop the game at grassroots level. There are currently 15 centres of excellence — all the states have one while Kedah has two — under the programme. The plan is to increase the number of sub-centres to cover more areas in the country. Former internationals can get involved through the "outsource" initiative which will provide the backing for these sub-centres although they are not part of the official programme. Currently, there are three such centres — two in Pahang (Jerantut and Karak) and one in Penang — operated by state coaches. The Jerantut centre is run by M. Gopalkrishanan and S. Balachander while Kunam Sargam is in charge in Karak. The Penang centre, based at the Penang Free School and the SRJK Ramakrishna, has Yap Gark Soo and M. Thayalan as the coordinators. 1Mas director Lim Chiow Chuan hopes others will follow suit. He said former internationals and coaches can learn more about the outsource initiative through the official website or the secretariat at the National Hockey Stadium. "This is a good way for former internationals to give back to the game. We offer them equipment, coaching allowances and help with the pitch rental so that the centres can cater to the training needs of the kids. We will also send the coaches for courses and will visit them to evaluate their training programmes and offer suggestions." Currently, former internationals are mainly either national, state or club coaches. There are just a handful who coach kids on their own initiative. Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah recently said that more effort should be put into the development of the game at the lower levels. "It is for the states to ensure that their coaches help nurture new talent. They can do this through the 1Mas programme," he said. It is left to be seen if any of the former internationals or coaches will take up the challenge in the coming year. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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