The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Unheralded shooter lands gold after nerve-wracking air pistol final
- Chinese star Lin Dan withdraws from Indonesian Open
- Shuttler admits to his game falling apart but vows to get it right
| Unheralded shooter lands gold after nerve-wracking air pistol final Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:44 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: There was joy for unheralded Siti Nur Masitah Badrin but heartbreak for World Cup medallist Joseline Cheah Lee Yan after the conclusion of a nerve-wracking women's 10m air pistol competition at the Tun Hanif Trophy shooting meet at the Subang Shooting Range yesterday. Joseline continued with the fine form in the preliminary round by equalling the national mark of 388 points, which she posted en route to bagging a silver medal for Malaysia at the ISSF World Cup in Munich recently. All looked well for her as the top qualifier, with fellow national team-mate Bibiana Ng in second place on 381 points and Siti squeezing into the eight-woman final in last spot on 367 points. However, Joseline failed to carry that momentum into the final and was eliminated with four shots remaining in the 20-shot final. Siti, on the other hand, surged to the front and eventually edged Bibiana for the gold with 191.4 points. Bibiana, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, settled for silver with 191.2 points while Wahidah Ismail got the bronze on 164.9 points. Joseline was not too distraught about finishing empty-handed although she was seen as the favourite after her breakthrough success in Munich. "That's shooting ... the new format puts all eight finalists on equal standing. I'm happy, nevertheless, as I still managed to hit my national mark. Getting this result in two weeks is not easy," said the Penang-born Joseline. Siti, meanwhile, was delighted to have come out tops against her former national team-mates. The 27-year-old last donned national colours in the 2010 Commonwealth and Asian Games before joining the Royal Malaysian Navy. Now holding a sub-lieutenant post, Siti took a two-year break from shooting. But she is now keeping her fingers crossed that she can make a comeback to the national team. "This is the first time I've beaten the top national shooters in the 10m air pistol. I've always lost to Bibiana and Joseline ... it feels great to finally beat them. I tend to do better in the 25m sport pistol. I still want to represent the country now that I've finished my work commitments with the Navy," said Siti. Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi continued with her hot form by bagging the 50m rifle prone gold medal with 588 points, beating national shooters Haslisa Hamed (586) and Muslifah Zulkifli (584). It was the second gold medal for the London Olympian, who won the 50m rifle three-position event on Thursday. |
| Chinese star Lin Dan withdraws from Indonesian Open Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:42 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Oops! He has done it again. Four-time world champion Lin Dan of China has turned his back on a Premier Super Series once more. This time, the 29-year-old Lin Dan has withdrawn from the Indonesian Open, starting on Wednesday in Jakarta. Thus, spoiling any hopes of a possible match-ups against either Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia or Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei. Lin Dan, whose world ranking has slipped from No. 2 to No. 68 after playing in only one international tournament since winning the gold medal at the London Olympic Games last August, will not start from the qualifying tournament of the Indonesian Open. Badminton fans had hoped to see him make the main draw and face Taufik in the first round. And, if he had progressed, Chong Wei would have been waiting for him in the second round. By skipping the Indonesian Open, Lin Dan's next tournament will be the World Championships in Guangzhou in China. Even without Lin Dan, China can still spoil Chong Wei's hopes of winning the Indonesian Open for the fifth time. Chong Wei had nicked the title in 2007 and from 2009 to 2011. China will be represented by four players – second seed and reigning All-England champion Chen Long, Du Pengyu, Wang Zhengming and Chen Yuekun. Chong Wei is drawn to meet former world junior champion Zhengming in the opening round. World No. 3 Pengyu is also in his half. Pengyu had beaten Chong Wei at the Super Series Masters Finals last year. Barring any upsets, Chong Wei is expected to face Chen Long in the final. Chen Long had triumphed in their last two clashes – at the Hong Kong Open and All-England. Hopes are high on Chen Long to become the first player from China in 24 years to win the Indonesian Open title. Xiong Guobao was the last player from China to win in Indonesia in 1989. |
| Shuttler admits to his game falling apart but vows to get it right Posted: 07 Jun 2013 03:42 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: National men's doubles shuttler Koo Kien Keat's lifestyle off the court has come under intense scrutiny of late. He's been booed by fans on the court and his game is falling apart. And, yesterday, the shuttler decided to come clean – finally admitting that his life is in a slight mess. The 27-year-old Kien Keat also admitted that he's desperately reaching out for help to salvage his partnership with Tan Boon Heong ahead of the World Championships in Guangzhou in August. The duo have been issued an ultimatum by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM): reach the final at the world meet or be split up. The pair have endured a rollercoaster ride in their seven-year partnership. Kien Keat-Boon Heong came under severe fire after losing to Lee Sheng-mu-Tsai Chia-hsin in a group tie against Taiwan during the Sudirman Cup at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil last month. Malaysia lost 3-2. The poor showing was synonymous of the year-long struggle faced by the duo, who seemed to have hit a plateau since losing in the bronze medal playoff at the Olympic Games in London last year. Several factors have been attributed to their dip in form, including the lack of discipline and their "colourful" lifestyles. But to be fair to them, the duo have also come through different coaches – from Yap Kim Hock to Rexy Mainaky, Pang Cheh Chang, Tan Kim Her, Yoo Yong-sung and Paulus Firman. So, it's not easy for the duo to adapt to so many trainers in such a short span of time. Kien Keat also admitted that he was not as committed to the game as he used to be and was struggling to be as consistent as world No. 1 men's singles shuttler and good friend Lee Chong Wei. "I just want to admit that I have not given as much commitment as I've wanted to, of late. There is a combination of factors that has led me to this stage ... but I do not want to delve into it now. But I know, things have gone wrong," said Kien Keat. "Yes, sometimes I have stayed up late. Sometimes I just can't sleep at night ... and I only have three or four hours' rest. I have spoken about my insomnia problem with the management and I'm getting help in this area. "It becomes hard to get up in the morning. "I also I find that as I grow older, I tend to be slower in my recovery from a hard's day training. "I remember that when I was younger, I used to ask my former partner (Chan Chong Ming) why he gets tired easily. Now, I understand ... different people react differently to hard training." Kien Keat also spoke about his frustrations. "There is just so much frustration in me right now. I know my humble beginnings and I've always set high goals in all the major tournaments ... but I get fed up when I keep failing," he said. "It's so difficult to be consistently at the top like Chong Wei. But then, singles is totally different compared to doubles. "In doubles, both players will have to be at their best – at the same time. It can be quite complicated when one is up and the other is down." But that, Kien Keat said, would not stop him from standing by his partner Boon Heong. "Although things have not been going smoothly for us, I've never thought of changing partner. It takes many years to understand your partner and, I guess, both of us know each other's strong and weak points," said Kien Keat. "For now I'm focused on getting it right with Boon Heong until the World Championships. I'm not worried about whether we'll be split up or anything. "I know it seems rather late to hope for an outstanding performance at the world meet but that's all we can hope for. "For now, I will get whatever help I can to strike it right with Boon Heong at the world meet." Firstly though, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will get a chance to redeem their battered pride when they compete in the Indonesian Open in Jakarta on Wednesday. The third seeds will take on Indonesia's Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Hendra Gunawan in the first round. |
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