04/08/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | AUG 4, 2025

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Loss of momentum Team liquid PH beat defending champions SRG.OG in 2025 MLBB Mid Season Cup final

Sarawak lab technician wins IJM full marathon AFTER six unsuccessful attempts at winning a race, Sarawak laboratory technician Thenuel Teli finally tasted victory when he conquered the 2025 Duo Highway Challenge run yesterday. Thenuel completed the full marathon (42km) in the men’s open category with a time of 2 hours 47 minutes and 49 seconds, a race which spanned two major Klang Valley highways, the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) and the Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya). “In my six previous races, my best achievements were second and third places. This is only my second full marathon this year, and it’s a redemption of sorts after going home empty-handed at the Score Marathon in Putrajaya last month. “I’m also happy that today’s time broke my personal best of 2:47:58s set at an international race in Thailand late last year,” he told Bernama after his unexpected victory. Robin Tan clocked 2:52:10s to finish second and Mohamad Rozi Kasim came in third with 2:53:16s. Thenuel, 26, whose idol is Kenyan world champion Eliud Kipchoge, hopes yesterday’s win would fuel his motivation for a stronger showing at Malaysia’s biggest marathon event, the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon, scheduled for Oct 4 and 5 in the federal capital. In the women’s open category, Ang Kee May emerged champion with a time of 3:39:55s, followed by Lee Yee San in second place (3:45:35s) and Lam Hui Theng in third (3:46:41s). IJM Corporation Berhad chief executive officer Datuk Lee Chun Fai expressed satisfaction over the event, co-organised with insurance company Allianz Malaysia, which saw a 20% increase in participation from 10,900 to 13,000 runners this year. Besides local runners, this year’s race also attracted participants from more than 30 countries, including Italy, Russia, Canada, Japan and China. – Bernama TOUCHLINES LIVERPOOL will submit a second bid for Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, if Newcastle secure a replacement. ARSENAL considered a move for Isak before signing compatriot Viktor Gyokeres but had doubts about the Newcastle forward’s fit ness record. CHELSEA want to sign both Netherlands and RB Leipzig mid fielder Xavi Simons, 22, and Manchester United and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 21, rather than one or the other. BARCELONA have rejected Chelsea’s offer of France forward Christopher Nkunku, 27, as a makeweight in a deal for Spain midfielder Fermin Lopez. MAN UNITED are ready to make a £61m (RM345m) bid for 22-year-old midfielder Lopez.

S ELANGOR RED GIANTS (SRG.OG) head coach Michael Angelo Boccado, better known as Arcadia, admitted that losing momentum in game two was the key reason behind their 1-4 defeat to Team Liquid PH in the grand final of the Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2025 on Saturday. Arcadia said his team had a dominant start in game one, but things began to fall apart in game two and three, despite holding early leads in both matches before the tide turned against them. “Going to game one, I believe we really performed flawlessly and we were able to execute the plays that we wanted to do, and it was a good start for us. “But going to game two, I think there was a huge turning point, where we were leading but kind of lost the momentum after that. It also happens in games three and that kind of dictated the pace of the series,” he told the media after the grand final on Saturday. Meanwhile, SRG.OG co-founder Simon Lim remains proud of his team’s performance despite failing to defend their championship title in this edition. He admitted that SRG.OG’s journey in the MSC 2025 campaign was not an easy one, not to mention that the team had to overcome various challenges before successfully reaching the grand final stage. “Today’s defeat doesn’t mean SRG.OG is not

make sure our younger generations will be able to further develop their talents through the game. “We’re not just talking about gaming or as athletes … we’re developing experts in many areas, broadcasting, coaching, even nutritionists,” he said. Malaysia’s MLBB Esports scene has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, as seen by the rise of SRG.OR. The team made history by securing Malaysia’s first international MLBB title at the MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2024, bagging a third of the life changing US$3 million (RM12.8m) prize pool. – Bernama

strong, but we lost to a stronger team. I believe we are still strong. “After this, we will sit together and study the reasons why we lost and come back stronger,” he said. Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim says MLBB plays a pivotal role in shaping Malaysia’s esports ecosystem and advancing the national development agenda. He said the government’s support for MLBB stemmed not only from its popularity, but also from the significant impact it had brought to youth development and the digital economy. “Governments all over the world, including Malaysia, continue to support MLBB because there’s a significant contribution … to youth development. “It is more than just a game – it has boosted digital economy growth, increased youth engagement, and serves as a platform for people to enjoy and truly understand the structured ecosystem of esports,” he said in a statement yesterday. He noted that the Malaysian government had also integrated the game into national school programmes to harness its popularity and develop diverse talents in the industry. “In Malaysia, for example, we have integrated the game into our national programmes in schools so that we will be able to capitalise on the popularity of the game to

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03/08/2025

7495 0760 5015

4291 9342 6498 3229 6311

9323 3303 4099 9060 3578

4108 7253 0544 8089 2484

9054 7731 3196 9939 5007

SHORTS

Malaysia’s Elvis Priestly Clement in action. – REUTERSPIC

RM16,761,158.29

7495 + 0760 0760 + 7495 5015 + 7495

7495 + 5015 0760 + 5015 5015 + 0760

RM377,721.00

Elvis bows out NATIONAL DIVER Elvis Priestly Clement concluded his 2025 World Aquatics Championships campaign with a 16th-place finish in the men’s 10m platform semifinals yesterday. The Sarawakian completed six dives, earning 399.80 points at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on the final day of the championships, but fell short of qualifying for the finals later in the evening. Only the top 12 of the 18 semifinalists advanced to the final round. The 18-year-old progressed to the semifinals after finishing 10th out of 48 competitors with 432.90 points in the preliminary round yesterday. Making his world championship debut in Singapore, Elvis also represented Malaysia in the mixed 3m and 10m team event, mixed 10m synchronised, and men’s 10m synchronised competitions during the championships. Meanwhile, national swimmer Tan Khai Xin failed to advance to the finals of the men’s 400m medley after being placed 29th overall in the heats. The 20-year-old clocked 4 minutes 30.90 seconds at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, falling short of his own national record of 4:23.24. The 2025 World Aquatics Championships conclude yesterday, wrapping up 24 days of competition across water polo, diving, high diving, swimming, artistic swimming and open water swimming.

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Malaysia seal best AJB campaign MALAYSIA wrapped up their campaign in the 2025 Asian Junior Bowling Championship with two more golds and one silver in the boys’ and girls’ masters events respectively on Saturday. With the results, Malaysia secured a total haul of seven golds, one silver and five bronzes, the country’s best performance in the history of the championship. In the events held in Doha, Qatar, Qurratu’ain Izdihar Pozi once again stole the limelight by snatching the gold medal in the masters category, completing a clean sweep of five gold medals in all her events. The 17-year-old gave a sterling performance to edge compatriot Adelia Nur Syazalee 378-370 over two games in the final. In the boys’ category, Aqil Faizal again showed his prowess by claiming his second individual gold after defeating Kuwait’s Nasser Alkandari 461-404 over two games in the final.

RM9,975,250.95

RM258,843.03

9 5 6 0 1 5 95601

56015

9560

6015

956

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95

15

60

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All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY