The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Leading scorer Syafiq puts his team above everything else
- Siti stays solid for silver medal in Auckland
- Leezer returns from serious injury to win stage in Kuantan
| Leading scorer Syafiq puts his team above everything else Posted: 26 Feb 2013 03:06 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) forward Mohd Syafiq Zulzairin won the best player award in the MHC-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League (MJHL) last season and is currently the top scorer in the Under-19 league with 10 goals. But it's the team that come first. Everything else, he says, is secondary. "Helping UniKL win the overall title is more important than me bagging the top scorer's award," said the skipper. "Last year, I was named the best player in the league but I was disappointed when we didn't win any silverware. We finished as runners-up in Division One and lost in the final for the overall title," said the Sentul-born Syafiq, who helped UniKL bag the league title in 2011. Last season, Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI)-Thunderbolt bagged the double. "This season we finished a disappointing third in the league. But my team-mates and I have vowed to give our best to qualify for the final and win the overall title," said Syafiq, who will turn 19 on Oct 5. UniKL will face SSTMI Juniors in the first-leg of the semi-finals at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today. The return leg will be played at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru on Friday. UniKL had hammered SSTMI Juniors 6-2 in the league but Syafiq said that won't lull them into complacency. "SSTMI Juniors ousted former champions MBPJ (Petaling Jaya City Council) in the quarter-finals ... they'll definitely go all out to get the better of us. So, we have to be cautious," said Syafiq, who was delighted to be called up to join the Project 2013 training squad two weeks ago. He hopes to keep on improving and earn a place in the Junior World Cup, which will be held in Chandigarh, India, from Dec 5-16. SSTMI Juniors coach Mohd Shafiq Nordin, meanwhile, admitted that they would start as the underdogs against UniKL. "Ten of my boys are making their MJHL debut ... so, reaching the semi-finals is already a bonus for us. Our initial target was to make the quarter-finals," said Shafiq. The other semi-final pits Thunderbolt, who won the Division One title, against MBI-Anderson. |
| Siti stays solid for silver medal in Auckland Posted: 26 Feb 2013 02:51 PM PST PETALING JAYA: Elite woman bowler Siti Shazwani Ahmad Suhaimi held her nerves to deliver a silver medal in women's singles at the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday. Isaac Russell Paul, however, had to settle for bronze with a total of 1,247 in the men's singles behind winner Sam Cooley of Australia (1,444) and runner-up Jaris Goh of Singapore (1,328). But it was Siti Shazwani who shone for Malaysia, having knocked down a total of 1,188 pins to finish behind England's Kirsten Penny, who scored 1,301. It was a fantastic performance by Penny, who overcame a disastrous start in the first game where she only scored 147. Siti Shazwani too struggled initially, especially during the second game where she only scored 169. Although the 25-year-old from Johor recovered well, it wasn't enough and she had to settle for the silver. "It's a pity I couldn't win the gold but I'm quite relieved to have got through this ... I'm thankful for the silver," said Siti Shazwani. "I actually didn't bowl that well and the lane gave me a bit of a problem. "Hopefully, it'll get better in the next event – the doubles. "I didn't really focus on checking my own scores. It wasn't until the third game that I realised I was in contention for a medal. "But I couldn't make the most of it and, in the end, I just had to maintain my own game because there was no chance for gold at that point." It was, however, a disappointing outing for Dayang Khairuniza, who scored a lowly 1,069 to finish 14th. The Sarawakian, who won a bronze in the doubles in the World Youth Championship last year, will need to raise her game in the doubles, which starts today. In the men's event, Isaac started strongly – scoring 237 in the first game to stay within touching distance of Cooley. But poor lines of 182 and 189 in the second and sixth games respectively ended his hopes of finishing higher than third. Sixteen-year-old Mohd Rafiq Ismail, who has been on fire this year, showed that he still has much to learn after scoring 1,167 to finish ninth. |
| Leezer returns from serious injury to win stage in Kuantan Posted: 26 Feb 2013 04:46 PM PST KUANTAN: Dutchman Thomas Leezer of Team Blanco capped a stunning comeback from serious injuries suffered during a fall last September by winning the 217.5km Stage Six of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Mentakab to Kuantan yesterday. Leezer won with a solo effort after joining the breakaway group at the 180km mark. He crossed the finish line in 4'33:42. Jung Ji-min of South Korean outfit KSPO was second – 27 seconds behind. Polish national champion Michal Golas of OmegaPharma-QuickStep was third – 35 seconds behind. Mohd Harrif Salleh of Terengganu Cycling was Malaysia's best finisher in ninth place, riding in with the big bunch 40 seconds behind Leezer. Team Nippo's Julian Arredondo continued to don the yellow jersey after clocking 4'34.28 – 46 seconds behind Leezer. "It was a crazy race ... nothing like I've experienced before. There was attack after attack from the riders ... I think maybe 30 or 40 of them (attack) at the beginning and the peloton reacted to every one of it," said Leezer, who powered away from the breakaway group with 3km to go. "I trained hard in the winter before coming here, working with the physio to get myself ready for the race. "I thought I was ready for a race but to come away with a win is something special," added Leezer, who suffered a bad crash in a race in Belgium last year, breaking the bones on his shoulder blade. He also suffered from concussion. The longest stage in LTdL this year offered chances for breakaway groups to form but the peloton was vigilant in keeping things together with Team Nippo marshalling the peloton. "I thank my team for doing such great work today. It was a difficult stage with many attacks but we managed to keep them under control," said Arredondo, who now holds a 1:16 lead over second-placed Pieter Weening of Orica GreenEdge in the overall classfication. "Tomorrow (today) will be a shorter stage and I hope it will be easier for us to control the race." Yesterday's win makes Blanco one of the most successful ProTour teams thus far this year with 10 wins, sharing the honours with Lotto Belisol. Earlier in Stage One and Two, Blanco notched two wins with Theo Bos. However, Bos was down with diarrhoea and pulled out from yesterday's race. "I'm sure he (Bos) will be happy with the win. Without him, we can be more active in the breakaways ... perhaps we can set up a few stages for (Graeme) Brown," said Leezer. Stage Six results Mentakab-Kuantan (217.5km): 1. Thomas Leezer (Ned) Blanco 4'33:42, 2. Jung Ji-min (Kor) KSPO 27secs behind, 3. Michal Golas (Pol) OmegaPharma-QuickStep 35, 4. Jackson Rodriguez (Ven) Androni Venezuela, 5. Travis Meyer (Aus) Orica GreenEdge same time, 6. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana 40, 7. Allan Davis (Aus) Orica GreenEdge, 8. Jacob Keough (US) UnitedHealthcare, 9. Mohd Harrif Salleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling, 10. Anuar Manan (Mas) Synergy Baku all same time. Leading overall standings: 1. Julian Arredondo (Col) Team Nippo 22'17:48, 2. Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge 1:16 behind, 3. Sergio Pardilla (Spa) MTN Qhubeka 2:10, 4. Peter Stetina (US) Garmin-Sharp 2:32, 5. Wang Meiyin (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling 2:40. Points competition Blue jersey: 1. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana 57pts, 2. Anuar Manan (Mas) Synergy Baku 43, 3. Wang Meiyin (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling 36. King of the Mountain (red jersey): 1. Wang Meiyin (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling 48pts, 2. Julian Arredondo (Col) Team Nippo 45, 3. Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge 32. Best Asian rider (white jersey): 1. Wang Meiyin (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling 22'20:28, 2. Amir Kolahdozhagh (Iri) Tabriz Petrochemical 18secs behind, 3. Mizbani Ghader (Iri) Tabriz Petrochemical 58. |
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