11/06/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JUNE 11, 2025

31

N ATIONAL squash queen S. Sivasangari is the latest athlete to agree to join the Road To Gold (RTG) programme in preparation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28). In addition to Sivasangari, eight badminton players – Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong, Tee Kai Wun, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah, Cheng Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei – along with weightlifter Mohd Aniq Kasdan and track cyclists Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, have also agreed to join the programme. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, when announcing the RTG list yesterday, said that four professional badminton players – Goh Soon Huat, Shevon Lai Jemie, Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani and Goh Sze Fei – have yet to respond on whether they will join the programme. “These four players have previously held discussions with RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalinggam. “But they require a final meeting for us to align on the issues they previously raised,” she said at the RTG press conference at Menara KBS yesterday. Yeoh also announced that the national women’s recurve archery trio – Ariana Nur Dania Mohamad Zairi, Syaqiera Mashayikh and Nurul Azreena Fazil – as well as squash player Ng Eain Yow have agreed to join the Fast Track RTG programme. Yeoh said that she also met with sports associations whose athletes are involved in the RTG programme. According to her, based on the discussions, almost all the applications received from the

Sivasangari latest to join RTG … but Zii Jia declines offer as still recovering from injury

RESULTS & STANDINGS

NATIONAL men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong has been advised to seek support and not go through his recovery journey alone, following confirmation that he will undergo surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said that while Tze Yong is mentally strong, it is important for him to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. “At the end of the day, it comes down to the athlete. Please always ask for help. When you’re Rexy also expressed his gratitude to the RTG committee, especially to the Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh who started the programme early. “I think we are the first country to prepare for LA28 by establishing the RTG programme. For me this is a positive development for the RTG athletes,” he said. – Bernama WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS (Europe) Group I: Estonia 0 Norway 1 (Haaland 62) , Italy 2 (Raspadori 40, Cambiaso 50) Moldova 0. P W D L F A Pts Norway 4 4 0 0 13 2 12 Israel 3 2 0 1 7 6 6 Italy 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Estonia 4 1 0 3 5 8 3 Moldavia 3 0 0 3 2 10 0 Group J: Kazakhstan 0 North Mace donia 1 (Trajkovski 33) , Belgium 4 (Lukaku 15-pen, Tielemans 19, Doku 27, De Bruyne 88) Wales 3 (Wilson 45+7 pen, Thomas 51, Johnson 69) . P W D L F A Pts N. Macedonia 4 2 2 0 6 2 8 Wales 4 2 1 1 10 4 7 Belgium 2 1 1 1 5 4 4 Kazakhstan 3 1 0 2 3 4 3 Liechtenstein 3 0 0 3 0 8 0 Group L: Croatia 5 (Kramaric 42, 75, Modric 62-pen, Perisic 68, Budimir 72 pen) Czech Republic 1 (Soucek 58) , Faroe Islands 2 (Frederiksberg 71, Johannesen 86) Gibraltar 1 (Scanlon 23) . P W D L F A Pts Czech Rep 4 3 0 1 9 6 9 Croatia 2 2 0 0 12 1 6 Montenegro 3 2 0 1 4 3 6 Faroe Islands 3 1 0 2 3 4 3 Gibraltar 4 0 0 4 2 16 0 Doubles players advised not to be complacent with achievements THE success garnered by several national doubles players should not make them too comfortable to the point of affecting their performance. That was among the reminders given by the national doubles coaching director, Rexy Mainaky, to his charges given that they still have many tournaments to go and they still have a lot to catch up, besides having to work harder in their efforts to pursue the bigger dream, which is the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Olympic Games. “If we talk about satisfaction, we should appreciate what the players have done with satisfaction. “But we must remember not to let that satisfaction cause us to be complacent because there are still many tournaments and the Olympics is still far away,” he said when met after the Road To Gold meeting at Menara Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) yesterday.

sports associations involved requests for exposure to tournaments and additional training to strengthen athletes’ performance. “Our hope is for all these athletes to remain in the RTG list and continue to improve, because currently they are ranked in the top 10. “But by 2028, we want to see them in the top four or five, only then will we have a chance to win a gold medal,” she said. Sivasangari said the RTG programme could help improve her performance in her mission to qualify for LA28. She also said the programme would ease her burden as she is currently training overseas. “Joining this programme is very important for me because it provides financial support, especially since I am based overseas and preparing for the Olympics. “All of us are working towards the Olympics, and being part of this programme gives us a major advantage in getting exactly what we need,” she said. Meanwhile, professional men’s singles

shuttler Lee Zii Jia has officially rejected the offer to join RTG in preparation for the LA28. This was confirmed by Yeoh yesterday. However, Yeoh said the door remains open for Zii Jia to join the RTG if he changes his mind in the future. “Zii Jia is not joining the programme for his own reasons. So we respect his decision,” she said. Earlier, Team LZJ, expressed their gratitude to the RTG committee, especially Yeoh, for offering Zii Jia the opportunity to join the prestigious programme. According to a statement, after full consideration, they decided to decline participation in the RTG. “RTG is a programme reserved for the best of the best in the country, and since Zii Jia is still recovering from his injury, we feel that the appropriate assistance from the programme should be given to his fellow peers that are more deserving at this moment,” the statement said. – Bernama

Rosman remains focused on Pearly-Thinaah’s future

NATIONAL women’s badminton doubles head coach Rosman Razak remains focused on preparing top pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28), despite uncertainty surrounding their status with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). With the duo’s contract with BAM still unresolved following the expiry of their previous deal at the end of last year, speculation has grown that they may turn professional. Rosman, however, said he will continue to give his full commitment as long as the Indonesia Open 2025 runners up remain under his guidance. “Whatever the decision or outcome, I will continue serving because I don’t know the future. As long as they are still under my training, I will do my best to guide them towards our goal. “This is why BAM hired me, I will only concentrate on the objective (LA28) only,” he said when met at the training session yesterday. During the Indonesia Open 2025 final last Sunday, the world No. 4 pair pushed world No. 1 and top-seeded Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning to the limit in a thrilling one hour and 29 minute final before going down 25-23, 12-21, 19-21 at the iconic

Istora Senayan in Jakarta. Even though they narrowly missed out on the title in the Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta, Rosman, who was delighted with his charges’ performance, hoped Pearly Thinaah would remain consistent in future tournaments. He also noted the pair’s progress since he assumed his current role last November, praising their openness to adapting and improving. “They are willing to listen and adapt because being top pairs is not as easy as people think. There are many other factors which can cause them to rise and fall but they acted professionally,” he said. When asked whether Pearly Thinaah are improving in higher-tier tournaments, Rosman said the level of quality and pressure remains the same, whether it’s a Super 500 or Super 750 event, as the top pairs competing are largely the same across all levels. “Seriously, I take it Super 500, 750 and 1000 as the same tournament. Pressure is still the same. I cannot say Super 500 and Super 750 are easier and Super 1000 has more pressure, as there’s no such thing,” he said. – Bernama

National women’s doubles pair M. Thinaah (left) and Pearly Tan. – BERNAMAPIC

Jonassen tells injured Tze Yong to ‘always ask for help’

step at a time. “Of course, it takes a strong character to want to come back, and that’s why I believe he has the ability to do so,” he said. Previously, Tze Yong has suffered various injuries, including a muscle tear in his back and a spinal injury last year. He underwent a long period of rest and rehabilitation before returning to action in the Badminton Asia Championship 2025 in Ningbo, China, in April. – Bernama

the Malaysia Masters last month due to knee pain. BAM said a thorough medical examination and magnetic resonance imaging have since confirmed a torn ACL requiring surgical intervention. Despite the setback, Tze Yong, in the same statement, said he is optimistic and committed to his rehabilitation journey. Jonassen said it is important for the 2022 Commonwealth Games men’s singles silver medallist to focus on the recovery process one

there, you’re not on your own. But sometimes it can feel that you’re there on your own with your own issue and those things. Do reach out. “It’s not a weakness to ask for help. For sure, we’ll be there monitoring all the way,” he told reporters when met at a training session yesterday. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), in a statement on Friday, confirmed that Tze Yong, 25, was forced to retire from his opening-round match against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long at