The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Al-Attiyah wins again, Sainz falls away
- Shuttler Ramdan cites personal reason for leaving national set-up
- Aging Chong Wei must overcome young guns in Seoul
| Al-Attiyah wins again, Sainz falls away Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:52 PM PST AREQUIPA, Peru: Qatari ace Nasser al-Attiyah won his second successive stage in this year's Dakar Rally as he triumphed in the fourth stage to give himself a great chance of adding to his triumph in the 2011 edition. The 42-year-old driver - who made it four stage wins from four for his Red Bull Buggy team - closed the gap on the overall leader, France's Mini-driving 10-time champion Stephane Peterhansel. Guerlain Chicherit took second in the stage, 36sec behind, while Peterhansel, 47, who has won the race six times on a motorbike and four times in the car discipline, came in over a minute behind the Qatari and saw his lead clipped to 5min 16sec. However, it was not all good news for the Red Bull team as the 2010 winner Carlos Sainz dropped out of contention with a second successive poor day, the winner of the first two stages suffering more problems with his car. The Spaniard is now over three hours off the pace while another of the contenders American Robby Gordon, who was disqualified last year for his car not conforming to race regulations, also fell out of contention. He attempted an ambitious manoeuvre and ended up with his car on its roof, losing more than two hours in the process. Al-Attiyah, though, was all smiles when he emerged from his car. "In the dunes at the start, it was very difficult to open the way, but in the end we are here without any problem at all and a good time as well so we are happy," said Al-Attiyah, who last year showed his all round sporting skills by winning Olympic bronze in the shooting competition. "Of course, we know that tomorrow (Tuesday) the terrain is going to be less easy for the buggies and we will probably lose a bit of time, but since it should be better for us in Chile, I'm not worried, especially since we are out in front and not far behind Peterhansel." The motorbike section saw a change of hands in terms of the overall lead as Frenchman Olivier Pain took over from compatriot and four-time winner Cyril Despres. The stage honours went to Spanish rider Joan Barreda Bort on a Husqvarna, who recorded his second stage win of this year's race in beating Pain by 8min 23sec while another Frenchman David Casteu was third. Pain leads Casteu in the overall standings by 2min 24sec with defending champion Despres, dropping to third 3min 09sec adrift. Pain, whose best finish in six previous editions has been two ninth places including last year, was not getting ahead of himself with regard to winning the race outright. "I don't want to get overexcited about my place in the overall, the rally's still long and my objective is to finish in the Top 10 every day, and I hope to continue doing this well until the end," said the 31-year-old. -AFP |
| Shuttler Ramdan cites personal reason for leaving national set-up Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:33 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Blood is definitely thicker than water. This adage was proven right when reigning national men's singles champion Misbun Ramdan Misbun quit the national team yesterday to "rejoin" his father – Datuk Misbun Sidek – under the banner of professional club Nusa Mahsuri. Ramdan's shocking action is reminiscent of his father's own actions two years ago. Then, just as Malaysia was ushering in the New Year, Misbun dropped a bombshell by walking out of the national team – resigning as the national coach. Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary Ng Chin Chai confirmed yesterday that Ramdan, who will turn 22 on March 16, had handed in his resignation letter citing personal reasons. Ramdan, however, had the courtesy to meet his coach Hendrawan on Tuesday to personally thank him for guiding him over the last two years. After all, Hendrawan had played a big part in helping Ramdan achieve several breakthroughs. Ramdan won his first local title, the Pahang Open, last year and defeated two more experienced players in Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng en route to becoming the national champion for the first time. "He texted me, asking whether I could meet up with him as he had something important to tell me," said Hendrawan. "My suspicion were proven right when he told me that he was leaving. I asked him if he had any problems with me, the BAM's programme or anything else ... but he said no. "He said it was time to go. I am glad that we ended it well. He thanked me for all that we've gone through together over the last two years. I appreciate his humility. "Ramdan is one of the talented ones in the group and has the potential to be a world class player. I wish him all the best. I told him that the door is always open if he wants to come back." Meanwhile, Chin Chai said that he would bring up Ramdan's resignation at BAM's exco meeting on Jan 15. Chin Chai, however, said that they would not stop Ramdan from playing in the Malaysian Open from Jan 16-20 as BAM had already registered his name. "His resignation came as a surprise to us. I received a letter stating that he was quitting due to personal reasons," said Chin Chai. In June 2011, BAM banned back-up shuttler Tan Chun Seang for two years when he left the national team to turn professional. He was not allowed to compete in any international tournaments in the Asian region. The ban was lifted during the BAM's coaching and training committee meeting in Alor Setar last month. Will Ramdan be similarly punished? Chin Chai said: "It's not for me to decide. Ramdan has left in a good way. Anyway, we'll notify the exco of his decision." |
| Aging Chong Wei must overcome young guns in Seoul Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:18 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: They are young – and restless. The season-opener Korean Open, which begins in Seoul today, could mark a transition in the world of badminton, with world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei the primary target. The Malaysian is being viewed as easy prey due to his age and injuries. The 30-year-old Chong Wei, who has just recovered from a thigh strain that led to him conceding a walkover in the Super Series Masters Finals in Shenzhen, China, last month, faces former world junior champion Wang Zhengming in today's first round. Zhengming has never beaten Chong Wei in their last five meetings. But don't forget that Du Pengyu finally overcame Chong Wei at the seventh time of asking – in Shenzhen last month. The other aspiring youngsters in the same half with top seed Chong Wei in Seoul are Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia; Viktor Axelsen of Denmark; and Wong Wing Ki of Hong Kong. Chong Wei will also have to worry about second seed Chen Long, who be baying for the Malaysian's blood with the likes of Du Pengyu, Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan and Kenichi Tago of Japan from the lower half. Chen Long has beaten Chong Wei five times out of 12 meetings and has showed that he has the credential to be an able replacement for two-time Olympic Games champion Lin Dan. National singles coach Tey Seu Bock agreed that it would be a challenging year for Chong Wei, whose goal this year is to become the world champion. The World Championships are in Guangzhou in August. Chong Wei, who lost to Lin Dan in the final of the London Olympic Games, made eight other final appearances and won five of them. It will be a tall order to repeat that feat. In the men's doubles, all eyes will be on Malaysia's Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong. Can they make a lasting impression this year by overcoming an array of new combinations and live up to the country's expectations? They'll have to, don't they. Afterall, they've been given a chance keep their partnership alive until this year's World Championships. They must prove themselves to be worthy opponents against South Koreans Lee Yong-dae-Ko Sung-hyun and Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang; China's Hong Wei-Shen Ye and Chai Biao-Zhang Nan; and Indonesia's Markis Kido-Alven Yulianto and Mohd Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan if they hope to stay together longer. Kien Keat-Boon Heong will also have to contend with old rivals Cai Yun-Hai Feng of China and Denmark's Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen, who have not shown any signs of slowing down. In the mixed doubles, Malaysia's hopes rest on Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying. It, however, depends on the condition of Liu Ying, who is battling with a knee injury. |
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