The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Students Jasmine and Ling Kar get nod for SEA Games
- Almagro is all fired up
- Unbeaten KLHC and Sapura set the pace in the first half of season
| Students Jasmine and Ling Kar get nod for SEA Games Posted: 26 Sep 2011 06:30 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Ipoh-born schoolgirls Jasmine Lai Pui Yee and Kam Ling Kar are set to rock the SEA Games stage for the first time in Indonesia come November. The two sweet-looking 16-year-olds were given the nod for their maiden SEA Games appearances in diving alongside the more illustrious Leong Mun Yee, who also hails from Ipoh. The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) yesterday submitted their final list of athletes for aquatics to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). Malaysia will compete in swimming, diving, waterpolo, synchronised swimming and open water swimming, making it a full roster in aquatics for the first time at the SEA Games level. But the biggest interest will be in diving where Malaysia are sending four men and seven women and should comfortably bag six out of the eight gold medals at stake. The four men going are London Olympic-bound Bryan Nickson Lomas and Yeoh Ken Nee together with Ooi Tze Liang and Ahmad Amsyar. Making up the women's squad are Olympic-bound diver Pandelela Rinong, Cheong Jun Hoong, Traisy Vivien and Wendy Ng Yan Yee. Jasmine and Ling Kar were grinning from ear to ear when told of their inclusions in the SEA Games squad after the women's 3m springboard synchro competition at the FINA Diving Asian Cup at National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday. The two are also best of friends and have been diving for the last four years. Now, all the hard work paid off as they look forward to their first assignment with the senior national squad. The duo are likely to enter for the women's 10m platform synchro as seniors Mun Yee and Pandelela will opt out to concentrate on the individual discipline. "I never expected to be given a place in the squad. I'm certainly excited and looking forward to it. "It is a big responsibility and we hope we can fulfil the expectations given to us," said Jasmine, who recently did well to bag two gold medals at the Asia Pacific Rim Junior Invitational meet in Wellington. She won the individual gold and partnered Ling Kar to win the 3m springboard synchro as well. The second day of the Asian Cup saw Malaysia bagging two silver and two bronze medals as China made a clean sweep of all four gold medals contested yesterday. Jasmine-Pui Yee picked up their second silver in the women's 3m springboard synchro while Ahmad Amsyar-Pardika Indoma combined well to take another silver in the men's 3m springboard synchro. Amsyar also won a bronze in the men's 1m springboard while Traisy Vivien underlined her talent by taking bronze behind China's Kang Li and Sheng Yi in the women's 10m platform final. Malaysia's hopes of earning another Olympic slot rest on Bryan when he competes in the men's 10m platform today. Bryan made the cut for the Olympics in the 3m springboard at the World Championships but he has a fight on his hands with world junior champion Wang Anqi of China in the fray. Only the winners of the individual disciplines get to qualify for the Olympics through the continental qualification route. |
| Posted: 26 Sep 2011 06:29 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Nicolas Almagro may be known as the Temperamental Talent on court, but off it he certainly didn't show any signs of it at all. The Spaniard, the world number 11, arrived yesterday for the Malaysian Open tennis championship and he was certainly in good spirits as he joked with reporters during a press conference at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. "I just landed and I haven't tried the courts yet. The only thing I've tried was the bed but it was only for 20 minutes and it is definitely not enough," joked the 26-year-old Murcia native. Almagro also explained that his fiery temper on court is part of his playing style which has helped him improved over the years. "It's part of my mentality. When I step on court I just want to win although recently I've learned to focus solely on the game." Almagro is the top seed following Czech Tomas Berdych's withdrawal and he is certainly well poised to win in his first appearance here. Almagro has won three tournaments this season although uncharacteristic performances saw him crash out in the first round of the French and US Opens. And the hard-serving Almagro has taken a more precautionary approach towards the Malaysian Open. "I've played some good tennis this year especially early on but I could have done much better. At times I made just too many mistakes like during the French Open. "The competition here is very strong. Every player has a chance to win and I'm just hoping to play my best tennis and win the tournament," said Almagro who named Serbia's Viktor Troicki as his strongest opponent. Troicki is the second seed while another Serb, Janko Tipsarevic, is the third seed. Almagro receives a bye in the first round and will take on the winner of the match between Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin and Spaniard Albert Ramos in the second round. |
| Unbeaten KLHC and Sapura set the pace in the first half of season Posted: 26 Sep 2011 06:27 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and Sapura have made it a two horse race for the Premier Division title at the halfway mark of the Malaysia Hockey League. After two weeks of action, KLHC and Sapura are the only two unbeaten teams with the former leading the standings on 12 points from four matches and the latter in second spot with nine points from three matches. The two teams meet on the final day of the preliminary round on Oct 9 and if both keep up their unbeaten run, the match could very well end up as the title decider. Double champions KLHC are slowly getting into the stride and scoring big wins but they had a scare on Friday when Maybank gave them a tough fight before losing 2-3. KLHC edged past Tenaga Nasional 2-1 in their opening match and then went on a rampage by whipping UiTM 7-2 and Yayasan Negri Sembilan 8-0. KLHC coach R. Vivekanandan said that all they needed to do was to win their matches. "There are eight matches to play in the Premier Division and we have already won four. So we have to went the next four to clinch the title. "The players just have to play their normal game. I am sure the other teams will be out to beat us so let them come at us," he said. Sapura also had a tough weekend. They had to stage a fightback for their 2-1 win over UniKL on Friday. A defeat would have handed KLHC a clear run to the title. Sapura coach I. Vicknesweran said they made it difficult for themselves in the match against UniKL. "We know that there are no easy matches this year. At the top end, teams want to win the title while at the bottom end the teams need the points to make the top-seven cut. So we must collect full points from every match," he said. Only the top seven teams in the nine-team Premier Division will make the cut for the knock-out stage. Currently Armed Forces and UiTM seemed doomed to finish in the last two positions. The Forces side have not won a single point while UiTM have a point after their opening day draw with UniKL. This weekend will be crucial for Sapura as they play Nur Insafi and Tenaga Nasional. They have to collect full points to stay in the hunt for the title. Nur Insafi have won their last two matches and will be motivated to keep up their good run but Sapura should win. The challenge should come from Tenaga who have a more balance side. Only the champions from the five-team Division One league will join the seven from the Premier Division for the knock-out stage and the front runner for the berth is SSTMI, the former Bandar Penawar Sports School team. |
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