Info Sukan Malaysia

BADMINTON 🏸

Sze Fei-Izzuddin claim breakthrough German Open crown

KUALA LUMPUR: National men's doubles Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have claimed their career breakthrough victory after winning the German Open in Mulheim on Sunday.

The world No 17 prevailed 23-21, 16-21, 21-14 against China's Ou Xuanyi-Liu Yuchen in a pulsating 70-minute final to lift their maiden World Tour title at the Westenergie Sporthalle.

With the triumph, Sze Fei-Izzuddin are now the first Malaysian pair to lift the German Open since Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in 1999.

More importantly, Sze Fei-Izzuddin can now feel that they are among the elite pairs in the world.

Since pairing up in 2016, the duo have not been able to live up to their potential with the runner-up finish in the 2017 Malaysian Masters, being their career-best result prior to this triumph.

They did start showing signs of revival, though, since last year by producing several commendable results, notably reaching the semi-finals of the Denmark Open en route to breaking into the world's top 20 for the first time.

Source: New Straits Times

OLAHRAGA

Russel taruhan KOM pertahankan emas 100m

Kuala Lumpur: Ketiadaan Haiqal Hanafi dalam acara 100 meter (m) di Sukan Sea Hanoi menyaksikan tumpuan sekarang terarah kepada Russel Alexander Nasir Taib untuk cuba mempertahankan emas dalam yang sudah dipegang Malaysia sejak 2017.

Menurut ketua jurulatih skuad olahraga negara, Manshahar Abdul Jalil prestasi semasa Russel Alexander membolehkannya menjadi taruhan untuk meraih pingat dalam acara berkenaan atau pun mengulangi pencapaian yang dilakukan Khairul Hafiz Jantan (2017) dan Haiqal (2019).

"Russel sekarang berada di Australia menjalani latihan dan berpangkalan di sana. Berdasarkan situasi semasa dia berada dalam keadaan konsisten dengan catatan terbaik 10.46 saat (s)," katanya selepas Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pemilihan KOM semalam.

Ujar Manshahar, catatan yang dilakukan Russel Alexander itu membolehkannya berkemungkinan untuk menghadiahkan pingat buat negara dalam acara berkenaan.

"Apa warna pingat belum pasti, kerana Thailand, Indonesia dan Singapura juga mempunyai pelari terbaik. Secara asas apa-apa saja boleh berlaku, sama seperti Haiqal yang tidak letakkan sasaran dan harapan tapi mampu memberikan emas (di Manila).

"Mungkin akan berlaku kejutan, hanya masa itu sendiri yang bakal menentukan siapa terpantas dan terbaik. Banyak kejohanan yang kita lihat juara lahir pada ketika dan masa kejohanan berlangsung," katanya.

Russel Alexander berjaya membawa pulang gangsa dalam acara 200m di Manila dan dia kemudiannya membantu kuartet 4x100m lelaki negara meraih perak.

Ditanya mengenai sasaran lima emas yang ditetapkan Kesatuan Olahraga Malaysia (KOM), Manshahar berkata, ia adalah buruan yang realistik untuk diraih di Hanoi.

"Atlet sedia ada mampu meraih lima emas walaupun kita sedar cabaran paling sengit sudah pasti datang daripada negara tuan rumah, Vietnam. Begitu juga negara seperti Filipina dan Indonesia. Cuma Thailand dan kita masih lagi mencari rentak. Jadi dalam tempoh dua bulan yang kita ada ini kita harus melakukan persiapan rapi," katanya.

Sumber: Harian Metro

SAILING ⛵️

Nur Shazrin rules high seas in third attempt

PETALING JAYA: It looks like third time’s the charm for sailor Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif (pic) after she came out tops in the Asian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi.

The 24-year-old took gold in the International Laser Radial class category after eight races. She finished first in five races and second in the remaining three. India’s Nethra Kumanan finished second while Hong Kong’s Nancy Highfield took the bronze.

At the last two editions in 2016 and 2018, Nur Shazrin had to settle for silver.

In 2016, she finished behind Thailand’s Kamolwan Chanyim in Abu Dhabi, and two years later in Jakarta, she was the bridesmaid to China’s Zhang Dongsheng.

Nur Shazrin said it was a special win this year and one that would give her inspiration for the Hangzhou Asian Games this year.

“Everything was perfect. The wind was good and despite some shifty moments, I made sure to keep myself in the top-two in every race,” she said.

“To prepare for this tournament, I took part in the Langkawi Premier Regatta in early February and then flew to Vilamoura, Portugal, for training. I had a race there, but did not do well because I fell ill.

“Then we flew to Abu Dhabi in late February and I got worried because there was no wind. But on race day, it was perfect. I took advantage of the wind conditions pretty well.”

Shazrin will now participate in the Trofeo S.A.R. Princessa Sofia in Spain and has set her sights on another gold.

Meanwhile, Khairulnizam Affendy bagged silver in the international laser category.

India’s Vishnu Saravanan finished tops while Hong Kong’s Nicholas Bezy won bronze.

Khairulnizam had a great start in the first three races where he finished second in race one and first in race two and three.

But he was disqualified in the fourth race which stunted his momentum.

He bounced back by keeping himself in the top six in the next four races, but it wasn’t enough to put himself ahead of the pack.

Source: The Star

BADMINTON 🏸

Kian Meng, Pei Jing mara ke pusingan kedua

Kuala Lumpur: Pasangan beregu campuran profesional negara, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing berjaya menepati ramalan mara ke Pusingan Kedua Kejohanan Badminton Terbuka Jerman selepas berjaya mengalahkan gandingan Perancis, William Villeger-Anne Tran.

Bagaimanapun, mereka yang diletakkan sebagai pilihan keenam terpaksa berhempas-pulas untuk bangkit selepas kalah 15-21 di set pembukaan.

Kian Meng-Pei Jing menggunakan segala pengalaman yang ada untuk bangkit semula di set kedua seterusnya mencatat kemenangan 15-21, 21-14, 21-12 dalam tempoh 55 minit.

Sementara itu, pemain beregu wanita negara, M Thinaah tidak sabar untuk turun ke gelanggang esok bersama rakan segandingannya Pearly Tan bagi berdepan wakil Scotland, Julie Macpherson-Clara Torrence.

Thinaah mengakui persiapannya berjalan lancar selepas tidak dapat beraksi di Kejohanan Badminton Berpasukan Asia (BATC) bulan lalu akibat jangkitan virus Covid-19.

"Ketika itu perasaan saya bercampur-baur, sedih kerana tidak dapat bermain tapi gembira kerana mereka beraksi dengan baik," katanya ketika dihubungi Arena Metro hari ini.

Ujar, Thinaah sekarang adalah masanya untuk dia tidak menoleh lagi ke belakang dan bersedia turun ke gelanggang esok selaku pilihan kelapan.

"Setiap pemain mempunyai kelebihan masing-masing, jadi kami berharap mampu memberikan yang terbaik," katanya.

Sumber: Harian Metro

BOWLING 🎳

Timmy rolls to a double delight at the alley

PETALING JAYA: National bowler Timmy Tan loves the feeling of winning again.

After more than two years without competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 27-year-old has lighted up the Inter-state Championships by winning the singles and doubles gold at the Sunway Mega Lanes.

Representing Kuala Lumpur, Timmy won the singles gold by downing 1,311 pins on Monday.

His Kuala Lumpur teammate Hafiz Zainuddin bagged silver (1,251) while Johor’s Mohd Nur Aiman Khairudin won bronze (1,250).

“It definitely feels great to win something again. I was happy with the singles win because I knew the lanes would be tough,” he said.

“My game plan was to be patient. Spares are important in these tough lanes, so I had to be calm. That worked well for me,” he said.

In the doubles, Timmy and national teammate Rafiq Ismail won gold by notching a score of 2,393 pins yesterday.

But they were given a tough fight from Sarawak’s Abner Loo Chun Lik and Daniel Tan Yan Han, who were just five pins behind with 2,388. Johor’s Aiman and Syed Mohd Hafiz were third with 2,370.

Timmy admitted that he was not at his best in the doubles and had Rafiq to thank for.

“I must say thanks to my partner today. He did a very good job covering for me. I started badly in the first two games, bowled 141 and 165.

“It was a super slow start but as the game went on, we started to catch up from the bottom.”

Timmy will now focus on the team event with Rafiq, Hafiz and Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malik today where he hopes to hit a hattrick.

“The aim is gold but we have to be mindful of the others. We cannot put too high expectation on ourselves.

“We will take one game at a time.”

Source: The Star

SQUASH

Sangari's college swan song

NATIONAL squash player S. Sivasangari capped off her college career on a high by winning the College Squash Association (CSA) individual championships.

The national No 1, a fourth-year student at Cornell University, came through by beating Harvard's Egyptian world No 57 Hana Moataz 11-4, 2-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7 in the final in Philadelphia on Sunday.

It was a crowning moment for the world No 23, who has taken the American college scene by storm since her freshman year in 2019.

She was a finalist in 2019 and reached the semi-finals in 2020, the last time the championship was held, in which she lost to Hana.

There was no denying Sivasangari this time as she capped an incredible college season by going 19 games unbeaten en route to taking the title.

Sivasangari, fondly known as Sangari, has been making huge strides in the squash scene, and many are now comparing her to former world No 1 Nicol David.

Going by her progress, Sivasangari could soon emulate Nicol's achievements in women's squash.

"It was a really close match against Hana, and I was a little nervous as I knew it was going to be tough," said Sivasangari.

"But I really wanted to win the title, especially since I came up short in the previous years.

"It was also sweet revenge as I had lost to Hana in the semi-finals last year. I was definitely very relieved to win.

"It's really a sense of achievement, and it wouldn't have been possible without my coaches here — David (Palmer) and Mark (Burke) as we all worked hard to make this happen.

"And it's also really great to finish this college season unbeaten and to be the first Cornell player to win the individual title.

"Now that this chapter of my career is done, I am very much looking forward to the next chapter, which is to continue playing on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour and focusing on the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games," added the Kedah-born.

Sivasangari will next compete in the Black Ball Open in Egypt on March 12-17.

She meets world No 47 Sana Ibrahim of Egypt in the first round, and a win will pit her against England's world No 11, Georgina Kennedy.

Source: The Star

YONEX GANWARD German Open 2022
(HSBC BWF World Tour Super 300)
📍Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany 🇩🇪
🗓 08—13 March 2022
______________________________________________
🗓 08 March (Tuesday)

RESULTS

Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Ong Yew Sin / Goh Liu Ying 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Adam Hall / Julie Macpherson

Game: 0-2
Sets: 16-21, 13-21

Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Tan Kian Meng / Lai Pei Jing [6] 🆚
🇫🇷 William Villeger / Anne Tran

Game: 2-1
Sets: 15-21, 21-14, 21-12

Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Goh Soon Huat / Shevon Lai [8] 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Callum Hemming / Jessica Pugh

Game: 1-2
Sets: 14-21, 21-13, 12-21

Women’s Doubles
🇲🇾 Vivian Hoo / Lim Chiew Sien 🆚
🇪🇪 Kati-Kreet Marran / Helina Ruutel

Game: 2-0
Sets: 21-14, 22-20
______________________________________________

YONEX GANWARD German Open 2022
(HSBC BWF World Tour Super 300)
📍Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany 🇩🇪
🗓 08—13 March 2022
______________________________________________
⚠️WHERE TO WATCH LIVE?⚠️
📺 Live TV: TBA
📱 Live Stream: https://sportdeutschland.tv/
🔢 Live Score: Tournament Software www.tournamentsoftware.com
- Apps: Badminton4U
______________________________________________
✨FULL SCHEDULE ✨
08 Mar - Round 32
09 Mar - Round 32
10 Mar - Round 16
11 Mar - Quarterfinals
12 Mar - Semifinals
13 Mar - Finals
______________________________________________
09 March (Wednesday)
Round 32

🏟 Court 1
⏰ 4:50 PM
Men’s Singles
🇲🇾 Lee Zii Jia [5] 🆚 🇳🇱 Mark Caljouw

⏰ 7:50 PM
Men’s Doubles
🇲🇾 Ong Yew Sin / Teo Ee Yi [6] 🆚
🇮🇳 MR Arjun / Dhruv Kapila

⏰ 10:00 PM
🇲🇾 Tan Kian Meng / Tan Wee Kiong 🆚
🇯🇵 Takuro Hoki / Yugo Kobayashi [1]

🏟 Court 2
⏰ 7:55 PM
Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Chen Tang Jie / Peck Yen Wei 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Marcus Ellis / Lauren Smith [5]

🏟 Court 3
⏰ 5:50 PM
Women’s Doubles
🇲🇾 Pearly Tan / Thinaah Muralitharan [8] 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Julie Macpherson / Clara Torrance

⏰ 7:10 PM
Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Hoo Pang Ron / Cheah Yee See 🆚
🇹🇭 Supak Jomkoh / Supissara Paewsampran

⏰ 2:10 AM (10 March)
Men’s Doubles
🇲🇾 Goh Sze Fei / Nur Izzuddin 🆚
🇲🇾 Man Wei Chong / Tee Kai Wun

Good luck and all the best!

______________________________________________

YONEX GANWARD German Open 2022
(HSBC BWF World Tour Super 300)
📍Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany 🇩🇪
🗓 08—13 March 2022
______________________________________________
⚠️WHERE TO WATCH LIVE?⚠️
📺 Live TV: TBA
📱 Live Stream: https://sportdeutschland.tv/
🔢 Live Score: Tournament Software www.tournamentsoftware.com
- Apps: Badminton4U
______________________________________________
✨FULL SCHEDULE ✨
08 Mar - Round 32
09 Mar - Round 32
10 Mar - Round 16
11 Mar - Quarterfinals
12 Mar - Semifinals
13 Mar - Finals
______________________________________________
🗓 08 March (Tuesday)

🏟 Court 1 / TV
⏰ 5:50 PM
Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Ong Yew Sin / Goh Liu Ying 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Adam Hall / Julie Macpherson

🏟 Court 2
⏰ 8:05 PM
Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Tan Kian Meng / Lai Pei Jing [6] 🆚
🇫🇷 William Villeger / Anne Tran

🏟 Court 3
⏰ 5:10 PM
Mixed Doubles
🇲🇾 Goh Soon Huat / Shevon Lai [8] 🆚
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Callum Hemming / Jessica Pugh

⏰ 12:40 AM (9 March)
Women’s Doubles
🇲🇾 Vivian Hoo / Lim Chiew Sien 🆚
🇪🇪 Kati-Kreet Marran / Helina Ruutel

Good luck and all the best!

______________________________________________

GYMNASTICS 🤸

Promising gymnast Sharul has potential to fill void left by Jeremiah, says Shu Liang

KUALA LUMPUR: Promising young national gymnast Mohd Sharul Aimy Kamarul (pic) has the potential to fill the vacancy left by Olympian Jeremiah Loo Phay Xing, who retired recently.

National men’s artistic gymnastics coach Ng Shu Liang said although Sharul, 20, has a bright future in the sport, the Terengganu-born lad still needs time to improve himself.

“I can see Sharul as Jeremiah’s replacement. He was very unfortunate before as he was hit by a string of injuries (including his knee),” said Shu Liang.

“But I’m glad he has shown good progress and improvement after he started training under me not too long ago.

The 38-year-old coach believes that taking part in more competitions would give Sharul an edge, especially after he had bagged a silver medal in the vault event at the Egyptian Pharaohs Cup last December.

Shu Liang said he was now helping Sharul and Tan Fu Jie prepare for the FIG Apparatus World Cup in Cairo, Egypt from March 17-22.

Shu Liang also hoped that the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) would allow him to take six gymnasts to the upcoming SEA Games in Vietnam in May.

Asked about 24-year-old Jeremiah’s retirement, he said that while it was a huge loss for the team, he also respected the gymnast’s decision to call it a day due to an injury to his left wrist.

Last year, Penangite Jeremiah achieved a milestone in his career after becoming the second Malaysian male gymnast to feature in the Olympics, following in the footsteps of Ng Shu Wai who qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece.

Jeremiah ended his 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign in 62nd place out of 66 gymnasts in the men’s individual all-around qualification round with a total of 67.498 points. — Bernama

Source: The Star

ATHLETICS 🏟

Nauraj out to hit new heights at major events after indoor high in Europe

PETALING JAYA: National high jumper Nauraj Singh Randhawa (pic) hopes his solid indoor season will serve as a sneak preview of what lies ahead for him in major events this year.

The 30-year-old is eyeing greater heights in the SEA Games in Hanoi (May), Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (July) and Asian Games in Hangzhou (September).

“It was nice to win in Europe, they are small steps in my preparation towards major events this year,” said Nauraj.

He won two medals in four competitions that he took part in during the European indoor season.

He cleared a height of 2.22m in the BKK Freudenberg Hochsprung Gala indoor competition in Weinheim, Germany, on Feb 13 to emerge as the champion.

The other three tournaments were in the Czech Republic but he shone in the International Athletics Meeting Hvezdy v Nehvizdech on Feb 1, where he cleared 2.27m but the mark has yet to be officially declared as a national indoor record.

Nauraj was happy that he came through the demanding competition schedule for a month in Europe.

“I was able to put myself to test and gauge where I stood. I tried to push, go extra centimetres in every tournament,” said Nauraj.

“As the indoor season only goes for a month, it demanded a lot from me physically too.

“Hopefully, I will be able to translate all the experience in Europe into better performances in the upcoming major tournaments. Winning in those events (SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games), will matter more to me,” he said.

Nauraj is currently based in Leipzig, Germany.

Source: The Star