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Posted: 31 Dec 2011 06:37 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian squash players warmed up for the prestigious British Junior Open by winning six of the seven events at the Dunlop Pontefract Junior Open in London on Friday.

Ng Eain Yow gave his confidence a major boost ahead of the British Junior Open, which begins tomorrow in Sheffield, by beating compatriot Mohd Farez Izwan 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 to win the boys' Under–15 title.

Ong Sai Hung bagged the boys' Under–13 crown after a hard-fought 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 win over compatriot Mivesh Kumar.

Sanjay Singh delivered the third title for Malaysia by winning the boys' Under-19 title. He outplayed England's Richie Fallows 12-10, 11-9, 11-6.

Hosts England denied Malaysia a clean sweep by winning the boys' Under-17 title.

Lyell Fuller proved too strong for Mohd Hannan Tarmidi, winning 11-9, 11-6, 11-8.

Malaysian players also clinched all three titles contested in the girls' competition.

Jadeleen Lee was the winner of the Under-17 event, beating England's Anna Kimberly 11-8, 11-9, 11-1.

Aika Azman was involved with Nazihah Hanis in an all-Malaysian final in the Under-15.

Aika emerged triumphant with a laboured 11-2, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 win.

The last title of the day was won by Nurul Izzah Abdul Razak, who stormed back to beat England's Lucy Turnel 5-11, 11-7, 11-7, 12-10 in the Under-13 category.

Malaysian S. Sivasangiri finished third in the category after compatriot Andrea Lee conceded a walkover due to injury.

Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) secretary Christ-opher Brodie was delighted with the results.

"It was a great outing. The win will boost the juniors to give their best in the British Junior Open," said Christopher.

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Keen contest in grand finale

Posted: 31 Dec 2011 03:13 PM PST

PETALING JAYA: The grand finale of the national cycling Grand Prix in Muar today will offer a ticket for the men's winner to be in the running for the two London Olympic spots.

Malaysia earned two tickets to the road race in London, and the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) have thus far shortlisted six riders. They are Anuar Manan, Mohd Harrif Salleh, Mohd Adiq Husanie Othman, Amir Mustafa Rusli, Mohd Zamri Salleh and Ng Yong Li.

Zamri is currently leading the GP standings with 45 points after six legs.

But it is still a wide open race for the overall crown as Mohd Nur Umardi Rosli and Mohd Saufi Mat Senan are tied in second place on 42 points.

MNCF president Abu Samah Abdul Wahab expects the race to be a fiercely contested affair.

"All the top five are from Terengganu, but I'm sure they will put friendship aside to be the overall winner," he said.

In the women's category, Masziyaton Radzi has sealed the title after collecting 74 points ahead of Mariana Mohamad (51). Nurul Ahmar Badeuzzaman is third on 48 points.

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Wishing on a star

Posted: 31 Dec 2011 06:44 PM PST

2012 - Starsport's writers have their say

ERIC SAMUEL

A GOLD medal at the London Olympics would be the ideal boost for Malaysian sports.

It is the ultimate challenge for athletes and shuttler Lee Chong Wei carries the weight of the nation's expectations in his pursuit of the elusive Olympic gold.

But we shouldn't be relying on just Chong Wei and Nicol David to keep the flag flying. All national sports associations must raise the bar and strive for world standard performances. It is time to stop being satisfied with being jaguh kampung and this means getting ruthless.

The non-performing sports officials and athletes must be given the chop. The message must be one of change or be changed.

The imperative is not so much a change in officials, many have had their chance, as a change of officials.

The FA of Malaysia (FAM) are an example of all that is wrong with a sport association. Antiquated and outmoded, FAM lack the dynamism and ideas to force the drastic overhaul the sport has been in need of for 30 years.

The Malaysian Super League (MSL) has to be corporatised if it is to succeed instead of just stumbling along like a decrepit old man. Frankly, the top brass who have failed to take football forward after three decades at the helm must do the decent thing and bow out graciously to pave way for new blood with fresh ideas and the will to succeed. We cannot be proud of a national team ranked a lowly 148th in the world.

Let us not get carried away with the success of the SEA Games and the regional Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championships.

There are much bigger goals ahead like the Asian Games, Asian Cup, Olympics, World Cup and we have a long, long, way to go to reach those levels.

The truth hurts, but we simply don't have the technical or administrative expertise or the material to attain world standard.

Change, like in many things, can only be brought about by a concerted effort. FAM are not the only ones.

We also have the Malaysian Athletic Union (MAU) and Sepak Takraw Association of Malaysia (STAM), among others, who need a serious makeover. What we need is an Arab Spring to cleanse and change our sports.

S. RAMAGURU

Optimism is a great thing. But in the context of Malaysian sports, far often we are left disappointed as many of the promises made are never fulfilled.

So will 2012 be any different? Can some of those sports singled out for success deliver? Will Malaysia celebrate their first ever gold medal in the Olympics?

Badminton is expected to bring home the gold medal through Lee Chong Wei. But although he has shown great resilience to stay at the top of his game for several years, he has failed at the final hurdle of many major events like the World Championships. China's Lin Dan has proved to be an insurmountable obstacle and will be again in London. Hopefully, Chong Wei will find the inspiration to break the spell for a crowning glory to cap his distinguished career.

Cycling's Azizulhasni Awang is another touted as a golden hope. But against a world class field in the keirin, he will need more than a touch of luck to see gold.

I would like to see the new year bring about a positive change in attitudes from the athletes. Forget the officials and administrators who are only motivated by self-interest. Leave them alone with their perpetual bickering and politicking. These evil spirits which possess Malaysian sports won't budge unless someone with the mojo and will exorcises them once and for all.

But the athletes can and must change their mindsets for a winning mentality. Too often have they been pampered and spoilt for being mediocre. They must strive harder to be worthy champions and look at scaling the heights.

Let 2012 be a year for the athletes to finally grow in stature and mind. It would also be great if the hockey team made it back to the Olympic fold after missing out in the last two series.

RAJES PAUL

IT is always nice to start the year with renewed hope and a positive mind. And I hope that Malaysia will end their eternal wait for a gold medal at the Olympic Games in London.

The hope is on badminton but I also have faith in the cyclists, archers and divers to surpass all expectations and deliver a massive surprise.

Winning is important but playing, participating and promoting the game in the right spirit are also equally essential. Discrimination, favouritism, lackadaisical attitude, greed, power struggle and pride have no place in sport. Sadly, it is just the opposite and that is why we continue to languish in many sports we once excelled in.

We need more passionate and sincere athletes, officials and administrators to cultivate a sports culture that we can be proud of. Integrity and fairplay should be an integral part of our system from the grass roots to the elite level. I wish all parties would set aside their differences and work together towards a common good. Forgive and forget all those past mistakes, let's look to future with optimism, without holding any grudges. Happy New Year.

LIM TEIK HUAT

TRIPLE Beijing Olympic champion Chris Hoy of Britain is no longer unbeatable like he was before and I hope our track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang seizes the chance to win the keirin gold at either the World Championships in Melbourne or at the London Olympics.

I also wish platform divers Bryan Nickson Lomas and Pandelela Rinong take Malaysian diving to new heights by making the Olympic podium.

I want to see motorcycle racer Zulfahmi Khairuddin shocking everyone by mounting the podium in the Moto3 world championships. But, most of all, I want our athletes and officials to utter more than just inane one-liners during interviews. That will make our jobs easier and also prove, once and for all, that the sports fraternity has a functioning brain after all.

AFTAR SINGH

THE iconic Nicol David will continue to reign supreme in world squash and dominate the Women's International Squash Players Association (Wispa) tournaments.

The Penangite, who won a record sixth world title in Rotterdam in November, can be expected to start the New Year with a bang by winning her first World Series Finals at the Queen's Club in London next week.

Nicol will bag many more Wispa titles in 2012 including her seventh world title in Cayman Islands in December to remain our most successful sports person this year. It is a real pity that squash is not in the London Games as, otherwise, Nicol would have almost certainly delivered Malaysia's first Olympic gold. We can only hope that world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei can unravel the Chinese puzzle in time to land the badminton gold after missing out to Lin Dan in the Beijing Games.

KNG ZHENG GUAN

I want to see the emergence of fresh new talents to colour our sporting landscape. We need a new generation of world-beaters to replace the aging Lee Chong Wei and Nicol David — and soon.

National No. 2 squash player Low Wee Wern is one such prospect. Hopefully, she will carry her fine form into the new year starting with the World Series Finals in January and break into the top 10 in the world sooner rather than later.

Squash has some exciting talents like Ng Eain Yow, Mohd Syafiq Kamal, S. Sivasangari who need the exposure to realise their potential. They are the future and deserve the breaks.

There are other sports with untapped potential and it would be nice to see them produce some inspiring moments to raise their profile.

I also hope to see the Selangor football team recapture their glory days by grabbing everything there is to win this season.

SHAMSHUL FITRI

BADMINTON and cycling carry the Olympic hopes of the nation and I pray that they will beat the odds to deliver a medal of any hue, preferably gold. But the most anticipated event of the year could well be the AFF Suzuki Cup which we will co-host with Thailand.

As defending champions, the pressure is on the Malaysian team to retain the Cup they so famously won in Jakarta in 2009. The spirit of the tiger must prevail as it did in the SEA Games in Jakarta where the Harimau Muda upset Indonesia to keep the gold they won two years earlier in Laos.

Ong Kim Swee is doing a great job with the team and can, hopefully, help the players make a successful transition to senior ranks.

K. RAJAN

I WISH to see Malaysian football finally emerge from the doldrums. We so badly need to see entertaining football in the M-League and bigger crowds in the stadiums and Malaysia retaining the AFF Suzuki Cup.

I hope to see an end to bickering among officials who should be focusing on improving their sport rather than making a mockery of sports. National associations must also strive to get their own funds instead of relying solely on government handouts. And we need our athletes to stand tall on their own two feet.

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Sabtu, 31 Disember 2011

The Star Online: Sports

The Star Online: Sports

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