19/02/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | FEB 19, 2025

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Sudirman Cup spot not on Kai Wun’s mind yet MEN’S doubles shuttler Tee Kai Wun is not yet thinking about securing a spot in the national team for the 2025 Sudirman Cup, slated to be held from April 27 to May 4 in Xiamen, China. Kai Wun said he is aware that above them – world No. 2 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik ranked fifth. Instead, Kai Wun said that he “We will just try to perform well in Europe, but what will happen next, we don’t know,” he told reporters after a training session in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Wei Chong-Kai Wun are strong

NATIONAL track cyclist, Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom is cleared to compete in the individual sprint event at the Asian Track Cycling Championships (ATC) 2025 to be held at the National Velodrome, Nilai from Feb 21 27. The development was confirmed by national track cycling head coach Harnizam Basri after the 29-year-old athlete met with the National Sports Institute today to assess the knee injury he suffered during a recent training session. Meanwhile, Harnizam admitted that the news was a relief for him since Muhammad Shah or better known as Shah Firdaus only needs to qualify for the quarterfinals to remain in the world’s top 10 in the sprint event. “To ensure that his injury does not worsen, we only put Shah Firdaus in at least until the quarterfinals in the sprint event. So we have two days of rest for him before the keirin event. “If Shah reaches the quarterfinals, he will get at least 200 points and will probably remain in the top 10 in the world. Hopefully he will be able to be in the top eight in the individual sprint event at the championship,” he said when contacted by Bernama yesterday. Previously, the media reported that the national Olympian has not yet made a decision to participate in the sprint event at the 2025 ATC. Shah Firdaus reportedly said that the sprint event requires cycling from low to high levels compared to the keirin which depends a lot on the tactics and strategy of the race. Meanwhile, Shah Firdaus admitted that although his injury has not yet fully recovered, he is still positive about chasing a slot in the final for the keirin event at the prestigious race. “Now I really want to maintain my top 10 world ranking, but for the keirin event which is important one step at a time, I want to get to the final first, I will give what I can give. “Even if we are in good condition, it doesn’t guarantee anything. In a race, anything can happen. This is based on experience. I am positive. No matter what happens, I know what I have to do and give my best performance,” he told reporters recently. – Bernama LA LIGA: Barcelona 1 (Lewandowski 28-pen) Rayo Vallecano 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 24 16 3 5 65 25 51 Real Madrid 24 15 6 3 52 23 51 A. Madrid 24 14 8 2 39 16 50 A. Bilbao 24 12 9 3 37 21 45 Villarreal 24 11 8 5 47 35 41 R. Vallecano 24 9 8 7 27 25 35 SERIE A: Genoa 2 (Pinamonti 82, Cornet 86) Venezia 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Napoli 25 17 5 3 41 19 56 Inter Milan 25 16 6 3 58 24 54 Atalanta 25 15 6 4 54 26 51 Juventus 25 11 13 1 42 21 46 Lazio 25 14 4 7 47 34 46 Fiorentina 25 12 6 7 41 27 42 CHAMPIONSHIP: Leeds 2 Sunderland 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Leeds 33 21 9 3 68 20 72 Sheff Utd 33 22 6 5 47 23 70 Burnley 33 17 14 2 39 9 65 Sunderland 33 17 11 5 50 30 62 Blackburn 33 15 6 12 39 31 51 West Brom 33 11 15 7 42 31 48 RESULTS & STANDINGS Shah Firdaus cleared to compete

including finishing as runners-up at the 2024 World Tour Finals in December. Kai Wun said they have grown more confident in playing the world’s top 10 pairs. The 24-year-old player said the experience of facing these pairs has been very helpful, especially in managing the pressure on the court. – Bernama

and Wei Chong, ranked 11th in the world, are focusing on gearing up for upcoming tournaments in Europe, including the 2025 All England in Birmingham, which runs from March 11-16.

contenders for the Sudirman Cup after clinching the 2025 Indonesia Masters title last January, while Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin have also done well since August last year,

the competition for a place in the Sudirman Cup alongside his partner Man Wei Chong is fierce, as two other pairs are ranked

Missed chances Tang Jie rues failure to seize moment at start of 2025 season

Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. – BERNAMA FILEPIC

N ATIONAL mixed doubles player Chen Tang Jie admitted he is dissatisfied with the start of the 2025 season, as he and Toh Ee Wei have struggled to capitalise on their chances to secure a title. Tang Jie said they had wasted several opportunities to return with a breakthrough victory in the three tournaments they have competed in so far, despite performing well. “In every tournament, we had chances to go further and even win the title, but we kept falling short in the semifinals or quarterfinals. I feel we played well, but in the end, we still lost. “For example, at the India Open, we played well but struggled under pressure in the semifinals. At our home tournament (Malaysia Open), we started strong but still lost. So, I’m not satisfied (with how the season

Orleans Masters in France (March 4-9) and the All England in Birmingham (March 11-16). The 27-year-old also hopes to reclaim the Orleans Masters title after last winning it in 2023, which marked their first World Tour triumph. As for the All England, the Perak-born shuttler aims to put on a stronger showing this year, having yet to reach at least the quarterfinals since making his debut in the prestigious tournament in 2023. He is unbothered by criticism from local badminton fans on social media regarding his performances, saying he remains open to feedback as long as it does not touch on personal matters. “I respect and appreciate their comments because sometimes they are positive, sometimes negative, but I just take it as it is,” he added. – Bernama

has begun),” he told reporters after a training session in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Tang Jie-Ee Wei began their 2025 campaign by exiting in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open, losing 19-21, 14-21 to China’s Feng Yang Zhe-Huang Dong Ping. They suffered the same fate at the India Open, where they were stunned by France’s Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue 21-17, 21-15. Their third appearance of the year at the Indonesia Masters ended in the quarterfinals after a 21-18, 20-22, 18-21 defeat to Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran. Tang Jie said they are using the current break from competition to focus on improving their mental and physical aspects while working on adding more variety to their game strategies before returning to action in Europe. Their upcoming tournaments include the

Alia Sazana’s Asian record not counted as world mark: NSAM THE Asian record in the women’s 25 metre (m) pistol event set by national shooter Alia Sazana Azahari (pix) at the 2025 Asian Cup Rifle-Pistol Championship in Bangkok recently will not be recognised as a world record. route to winning gold at the SAT shooting range on Sunday. In the final round, Alia Sazana achieved 44 hits out of 50 targets to erase the Asian record of 41 hits set by South Korea’s Yang Jiin at the 2024 Asian Shooting Championship in Jakarta.

This was confirmed by National Shooting Association of Malaysia (NSAM) executive secretary Major (Rtd) Jasni Shaari, who said NSAM would not be appealing to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) to recognise the Bangkok record as a world mark. He said NSAM is aware that her feat could not be recognised as a world record because the Asian championship was not sanctioned by the ISSF. “We have to go by the rule and won’t appeal,” he said when contacted by Bernama today. Alia Sazana broke the Asian record en

The silver went to South Korean shooter Lee Siyoon with 32 hits while Singapore’s Teh Xiu Yi took bronze with 28 hits. The world record of 42 hits was set by South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji at the World Championships in Baku last year. It was Malaysia’s second gold in Bangkok after Nurul Syasya Nadiah Mohd Arifin won the women’s 10m water pistol event with 239.3 points last Thursday. The championship began on Feb 9 and will run until Feb 22. – Bernama