Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 05:05 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: World No.1 Lee Chong Wei showed that he's still the top dog in badminton after powering past Indonesia's Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka in the semi-finals of the Indonesian Open in Jakarta.

Chong Wei, seeking his fifth Indonesian title, was just too strong for Dionysius, winning 21-17, 21-14 in 39 minutes yesterday.

The 30-year-old Chong Wei started off at a very fast pace, taking an 11-4 lead before the 25-year-old Dionysius even had time to catch his breath.

But the world No. 24 Indonesian, boosted by his upset win over world No. 3 Du Pengyu of China a day earlier, regained his footing to whittle down Chong Wei's lead before taking a 15-14 lead.

That stirred Chong Wei into action and he duly stepped it up once more to take six straight points to go on and win the first game 21-17.

It was a closer fight in the second but Chong Wei showed his class to edge ahead 11-9 before powering home to win it 21-14.

The Penangite, who last won the Indonesian title in 2011, will face Marc Zwiebler in today's final. The German world No. 22 disappointed the volatile home crowd with a stirring performance to beat home favourite Tommy Sugiarto 21-17, 21-10.

"Dionysius plays a very strong attacking game ... I had to be patient and attack him at the right time," said Chong Wei.

"The home crowd was cheering really loudly for him, which is normal, and I had to adapt to that too.

"But, overall, I'm really happy to be back in the final since I missed this event last year through injury.

"I'm looking forward to putting up another good performance and hopefully win another title this year."

There was further bad news for Indonesia when their top mixed pair of Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir failed to make the final.

The All-England champions, bidding to win their first home title as a pair, were well under-par en route to losing 15-21, 14-21 to Denmark's Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen.

The women's doubles final will be an all-China affair with top seeds Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang taking on Bao Yixin-Cheng Shu.

In the women's singles semi-finals, China's Li Xuerui ended Hong lass Yip Pui Yin's grand run winning 17-21, 21-11, 21-11.

Junior star Joo Ven thumps Zairul to make final

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:10 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Top junior shuttler Soong Joo Ven stayed on course for the Under-18 title in the National Junior Circuit GP Finals after a stylish performance in the semi-finals at the Sukpa Stadium in Kuantan.

Joo Ven, who hopes to end his junior career on a high, was too strong for Bukit Jalil Sports School's Zairul Nizam Zainuddin, winning 21-17, 21-10 yesterday.

In the boys' doubles, Darren Isaac Devadass-Ong Yew Sin showed their mettle by beating Mohd Aliff Haika-Mohd Akmal Zakaria 21-14, 21-23, 21-15 to set up a showdown against fellow BJSS trainees Eric Jong-Ng Di Hua.

In the girls' singles, Sylvia Kavita Kumares, who has already won the Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 titles, stayed well on course for the Under-18 title after beating Yap Rui Chen 9-21, 21-14, 21-3.

She will take on top junior Ho Yen Mei, who was made to work hard before beating Lee Zii Yii 18-21, 21-15, 21-10, in the final.

In girls' doubles, top seeds Joyce Choong-Yap Cheng Wen will be the favourites when they go up against Goh Yea Ching-Peck Yen Wei in the final.

The call of duty

Posted: 15 Jun 2013 05:12 PM PDT

I LOVE receiving phone calls. Some are encouraging, some thought-provoking and some rather disturbing.

I had three missed calls from Datuk Tan Yee Khan recently.

When I returned his call, he was agitated, saying I must have been busy with my "boyfriends".

I know it was a joke but I was annoyed, nonetheless. It was not like I was lying on the beach with my "Man" on one side and a glass of ice-cold fresh lemonade on the other. How I wish!

It had been a busy day, actually.

Anyway, my annoyance aside, let's talk about Yee Khan's annoyance – well, that was the reason he called.

It wasn't targeted at me, fortunately. But against the national shuttlers, coaches, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) ... well, the whole of Malaysian badminton, actually.

I can understand his grouses.

For someone who has been successful as a player (winning the All-England and Thomas Cup) and as a coach (reviving the national team from its slump in the 1980s), the 73-year-old Yee Khan is naturally a strongly opinionated man set in his own ways.

His intentions are good. He wants to see Malaysian badminton continue with his legacy.

He was spot-on on several issues – especially about the players' lack of commitment and coaches compromising on discipline.

He hopes to see former players being given more influential roles in the BAM and the birth of more champions. However, I can't help but disagree with him on certain aspects.

The sport has evolved. This is a new generation, where players and coaches are motivated by different things.

He can't impose the same training methods practised aeons ago – they are just outdated and impractical.

Sports Science too has evolved in a big way, thanks to the excellent job done by the National Sports Institute (NSI).

I wish Yee Khan could drop by to see the players in training – that'll give him a clearer picture and better understanding of the work going on in the background.

I know that Yee Khan and other veteran sportsmen have been vocal because they are gravely concerned with the state of Malaysian sports.

It's uplifting and inspiring to listen to these old-timers ... but, at the same time, I hope that they will stay abreast with the times.

The second call I received was from a school teacher who is concerned about the lack of playing fields.

Where are all the school fields?, he asked. Why are stadiums not allowing schools to use their field?

According to this teacher, the stadiums are always under renovation and even the ones in Bukit Jalil are constantly being upgraded.

How can we fulfil the Education Ministry's one student one sport policy when we do not even have fields to start with?

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wants the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil to restore its image as the "Wembley of Malaysia", but what about the schools?

He will have no one to play at the "Wembley of Malaysia" if nothing is done to tackle the shortage of fields.

Finally, there was another call – one subtly "telling" me to lay off writing on certain matters.

I can accept it if someone calls me to give me his or her opinions, thoughts and ideas. But to put fear in me in the name of offering a "friendly advice", now that's another thing all together.

Still, I love receiving phone calls.

The writer admires all the call centre operators for answering hundreds of calls daily – with a smile, no matter what.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Sabtu, 15 Jun 2013

The Star Online: Sports

The Star Online: Sports

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan