The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- ASUM promote youngsters to senior squad
- Syafiq all fired up for a good show in British Juniors
- Wei Feng confident of winning his first National GP Finals title
| ASUM promote youngsters to senior squad Posted: 26 Dec 2012 05:30 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: New Year cheers are in store for four youngsters as they will be promoted to the elite national diving squad preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The two boys – Mohd Danial and Mohd Nazreen – and two girls – Nur Dhabitah Sabri and Adeline Chin – will join the likes of London Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong and Bryan Nickson Lomas in the elite set-up next year. Mohd Danial and Mohd Nazreen, both 14, were finalists at the World Junior Championships in Adelaide in October this year. Nur Dhabitah is only 13 but she underlined her talent by grabbing gold in the springboard event at the South-East Asian Aquatics Championships in Singapore in June. Nur Dhabitah went on to win two golds at the Kuantan Sukma in July and together with Adeline, also a medal winner at Sukma, will be hoping for better things now that they will come under the guidance of head coach Yang Zhuliang. Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) secretary Edwin Chong said the four would join 15-year-olds Loh Zhiayi and Chew Yiwei who recently earned promotion to the senior squad. "It is the start of the next Olympic cycle and we have to identify and prepare new divers for the future. "We will promote these four divers into the elite squad and they will be targeted for the next Olympics in Rio. "They will be joining the seniors for training stints in China and we will gauge their progress through several competitions. "The seniors like Pandelela, Bryan, Ooi Tze Liang and Cheong Jun Hoong will still be there for the Rio Olympics. "It is our hope to see the younger divers stepping up to the plate to challenge for a place in the Olympics. "Expectations will be on diving to do better in future Olympics as we delivered in London and we have to get ready now," said Edwin. There are vacancies in the team following the retirement of seasoned divers like Yeoh Ken Nee while Leong Mun Yee has indicated her desire to take a break to finish her university studies. "We brought in Zhiayi and Yiwei to fill up the places after the London Olympics. Both will be groomed to get ready for the Rio Olympics as well as the 2014 Youth Olympics in China. "We have one year to prepare them for the qualifiers. We got two medals when Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010. Hopefully, these two will keep up the good work," added Edwin. Pandelela and Tze Liang were the representatives in diving at the inaugural Youth Olympics. Pandelela grabbed silvers in springboard and platform events. |
| Syafiq all fired up for a good show in British Juniors Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:43 PM PST PETALING JAYA: Mohd Syafiq Kamal is all fired up to make an impression in the prestigious British Junior Open squash championships in Sheffield from Jan 2-6. The 16-year-old Kelantan lad is only seeded joint ninth-16th in the Under-17 category. But he believes he can prove the seeding committee wrong. "I'm confident of rediscovering my best form and I'm looking forward to a good run in Sheffield," said the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) student. Syafiq is eager to start off the year with a good result after having a poor run in this month's KL International Junior Open. Much was expected of him but he crashed out in the quarter-finals. In the Asian Junior Championships in Kish Island, Iran, in June he also crashed out in the last eight. The high point for Syafiq was winning the Under-17 title of the National Junior Championships last month and the Hong Kong Junior Open in August. "It has not been an outstanding year for me by my standards. I lost to Amir (Farhan) at the KL Juniors because my body felt heavy and the shots were not going in. "But I'm confident that my form will eventually return. I'm working towards that. "Having reached the last 16 in the Under-15 category last year, but only the second round this year in the Under-17, my target this time is the quarter-finals and then take it from there. "It will definitely not be easy because the British Juniors is one of the toughest tournaments around and I have to be careful from the opening round," he added. Syafiq will take on local qualifiers Cillian Dunne or Rahul Bansal in the first round. If he wins, he is likely to face France's Enzo Corigliano in the next round. Syafiq's biggest test is expected to be fifth-eighth seed Abdel Zahar of Egypt in the third round. Besides Syafiq, the other Malaysians competing in the Under-17 category are the Pahang duo of Al Nikc Ally and Darren Chan. Al Nikc is also seeded joint ninth-16th. Asian Junior champion Ng Eain Yow is the only Malaysian to be top seeded in the tournament. He is the favourite to win the Under-15 event. Besides winning the Under-13 crown, he also made the semi-finals of the Under-15 event this year. |
| Wei Feng confident of winning his first National GP Finals title Posted: 26 Dec 2012 03:43 PM PST PETALING JAYA: It will be a much more open affair in the National Grand Prix Badminton Finals this year as world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will not feature in the race for the men's singles title. And world No. 21 Chong Wei Feng will be hoping to capitalise on the situation to end the year with a bang when the tournament starts at the Kedah BA hall in Alor Setar today. "I am really looking forward to this tournament, not only because Chong Wei is not around, but because of my personal ambition to win it. I had a good start to the year by winning the first leg of the Grand Prix (Selangor Open in February) and I would like to cap the year with a win," said the 25-year-old. Wei Feng is experiencing his best year in badminton, marked by his semi-final appearance in the China Open, a Super Series event, last month. The Kedah-born player is enjoying a career-best ranking of 21 in the world after his exploits in the China Open where he lost to eventual winner Chen Long of China 21-6, 21-7. "I am all fired up. But of course the one to look out for is Liew Daren, who should be the top seed in the absence of Chong Wei. Besides him, I must be cautious against the back-up players like Misbun (Ramdan Misbun) and (Goh) Soon Huat. "We often spar in training and sometimes the results went their way. There is no taking it easy against them," Wei Feng said. Daren got his breakthrough in October when he claimed the French Open title after beating Viktor Axelson of Denmark. It was his first senior international title. "The Finals also serve as a good preparation ahead of the Malaysian Open in January. It is a much bigger tournament and doing well here is important for me," said Wei Feng. List of qualifiers *BAM unless stated Men's singles Group A: Liew Daren, Misbun Ramdan Misbun, Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayup, Tan Kian Meng. Group B: Chong Wei Feng, Iskandar Zulkarnian Zainuddin, Lim Fang Yang (Pah), Chong Yee Han. Group C: Zulfadli Zulkifli (KL), Loh Wei Sheng, Chan Kwong Beng, Soo Teck Zhi. Group D: Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, Goh Soon Huat, Ahmadi Abdul Saman (KL), Soong Joo Ven. Men's doubles Group A: Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong, Nelson Heg-Teo Ee Yi, Mohd Lufti Zaim-Teo Kok Siang, Darren Isaac Devadass-Tai An Khang. Group B: Chooi Kah Ming-Ow Yao Han, Low Juan Shen-Tan Yip Juin, Mohd Razif Latif-Mohd Razif Abdul Rahman (Nse), Calvin Ong-Tan Wee Gieen. Women's singles Group A: Tee Jing Yi, Sonia Cheah, Yang Li Lian, Ho Yen Mei. Group B: Lydia Cheah, Sannatasah Saniru, Lim Yin Fun, Lim Chiew Sien. Women's doubles Group A: Goh Liu Ying-Lim Yin Loo, Amelia Alicia Anscelly-Soong Fie Cho, Lydia Cheah-Sonia Cheah, Chin Kah Mun-Yap Cheng Wen. Group B: Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean, Sannatasah Saniru-Tee Jing Yi, Marylen Ng Poau Leng-Shevon Lai Jemie, S.Kisona-Tew Jia Jia. Mixed doubles Group A: Ong Jian Guo-Lim Yin Loo, Lim Khim Wah-Vivian Hoo, Goh V Shem-Soong Fie Cho, Darren Isaac Devadass-Yap Cheng Wen. Group B: Tan Aik Quan-Lai Pei Jing, Wong Fai Yin-Shevon Lai Jemie, Chooi Kah Ming-Lee Meng Yean, Ong Yew Sin-Norshahida Baharum. |
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