22/08/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | AUG 22, 2025

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Seeing double Twins seal U-13 title in Junior Badminton Championship S IBLING SYNERGY stole the spotlight in the sixth Qualifying Round of the Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) 2025 held in Bukit Beruang, Melaka recently, as a pair of twins from Sek Men Bukit Mewah scooped the Girls’ U-13 Doubles prize. look forward to, since we’re only 13. So, there’s every chance for us to make the Grand Finals,” Clarissa added. The twins also fought hard in the Girls’ U-13 Singles, but the top spot went to their doubles’ nemesis – Fong Leanne from Arrows International School. Clarissa ultimately placed second, while Christina came in fourth.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFFS: Celtic 0 Kairat 0, Basel 1 Kobenhavn 1, Fenerbahce 0 Benfica 0 , Bodo/ Glimt 5 Sturm Gra 0. RESULTS SHORTS Kelantan siblings out to prove stereotypes wrong DESPITE relying on a sign language interpreter, the spirit of Malaysia’s deaf athlete siblings, Mohammad Faza Firdaus Ghazali, 29, and his sister Nur Ain Shafira Ghazali, 24, shines brightly as they set out to prove that stereotypes will not hold them back at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Deaf Games 2025. The Kelantan-born pair want every touch of the ball on the futsal court to serve as proof that hearing loss has never weakened their determination to bring glory to Malaysia on the podium of success. “This blood bond makes us truly enjoy playing futsal. My sister and I really hope to win gold in futsal one day. “We want to show everyone that although we are deaf, we can compete just like anyone else,” said Mohammad Faza Firdaus when met by Bernama in Jakarta yesterday. A full-time athlete, Mohammad Faza is thrilled to make his debut appearance, while also drawing strength from the experience of his sister, who won third place at the previous edition three years ago. For Nur Ain Shafira, futsal is more than just a sport; it’s a platform to showcase her talent, discipline, and determination, which have been nurtured since childhood. Malaysia has set a target of 16 gold medals at the Games – six in athletics, five in tenpin bowling, two in badminton, two in chess, and one in futsal. Speedy Tigers still short on fitness, says coach Sarjit THE fitness level of the national hockey squad is currently at 80% ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup in Bihar, India, scheduled from Aug 29 to Sept 7. Head coach Sarjit Singh said the players’ fitness aspect, which will be decisive in the competition, has shown positive improvement after conducting intensive training for almost seven weeks at the National Sports Institute (NSI). “The fitness we have done with the NSI routine. – the chamber run (drill for explosive bursts) was good for about six to seven weeks. So we are prepared. “But other teams also are well prepared too. South Korea, China and Japan have fitness levels that are really different. But we are getting there. “(This is) because after the Nations Cup (in June), we had a few injuries which needed time to recover. Hence, we are moving slowly in the right direction,” he said at a press conference announcing the squad for the 2025 Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Malaysia are drawn in Group B, along with South Korea, Bangladesh and Taiwan for the competition in India. According to Sarjit, the national squad will depart for India today to play two friendly matches against the host country and China before opening the tournament campaign.

Tinggi Cina for the Boys’ U-15 Singles title. Yong Kiat also came out tops in the Boys’ U-15 Doubles with partner Max Foo Jin Tao from Beaconhouse Klang, where the pair defeated Loo Wei Cheng from SMK Bukit Rahman Putra and Ng Jia Ray of Regent International School. Meanwhile, in the Boys’ U-13 Singles, Jared Lim Zi Hao of SMK Wangsa Melawati prevailed over Chua Teng Jay from Pay Fong Middle School Malacca. Teng Jay then teamed up with Jayden Lim Zhehui of SMK St Francis Melaka to best Bathmeshwarran Jeevarathanam from SMK Kepong and Derek Wong Shean Jun of TPIS International School in the Boys’ U-13 Doubles final. A total of 280 players took part in this Qualifying Round, the sixth of 10 rounds which will culminate in the year-end Grand Finals. The AJBC Grand Finals 2025, featuring U-13 and U-15 finalists from all the Qualifying Rounds, will take place in Kuala Lumpur from Nov 5–9 2025.

Thirteen-year-olds Christina Anne Alexander and Clarissa Anne Alexander, who hail from Seremban, took the title after beating Fong Leanne and Lee Quinn of Arrows International School. The twins first took part in the 2023 edition of the AJBC, where they finished in the quarterfinals of the Girls’ U-13 Doubles during the Negeri Sembilan qualifying round. However, they had to give the tournament a miss last year due to their father’s work commitments. Although both girls are Negeri Sembilan state badminton players, Christina also enjoys participating in the AJBC as it is “highly competitive”. “We certainly aim to play in the Grand Finals and we still have two more years of the AJBC to

Double victory was also celebrated in the Girls’ U-15 segment, where Annabell Gan Tze Zhen of SMK Gajah Berang won both the singles and doubles categories. Annabell defeated Ungku Iman Zahirah Binti Ungku Mohamed Nur Firdaus from SMK Tinggi St David to clinch the Girls’ U-15 Singles. Annabell and Ungku Iman Zahirah then teamed up in the Girls’ U-15 Doubles to overcome Sarah Nur Balqis Binti Ibrahim from SMK Klebang Besar Melaka and Siti Hawa Najwa Binti Mohamad Shah of Sekolah Menengah Tinggi Perempuan Melaka. Over on the boys’ court, Song Yong Kiat from SMJK Chung Hwa Klang beat Tan Jared of SMJK

Jakobsen leads Picnic PostNL challenge in LTdL25

Fabio Jakobsen. – REUTERSPIC

LAST individual champion, Max Poole is not in Team Picnic PostNL line-up for this year’s Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL25). Without Poole, the Picnic PostNL team will be banking on the experience of Fabio Jakobsen as they begin the challenging eight-day race from Sept 28 to Oct 5. With only Bjorn Koerdl retained from last year’s six-rider lineup, Picnic PostNL is counting on Jakobsen’s extensive experience as a sprint specialist to elevate the team’s profile, especially on the flat stages. Undoubtedly, the 29-year-old Dutch born rider from Heukelum will be counting on assistance from two of his teammates to set the pace in the final push, namely Bram Welten and Dilion Corkery, when they face off against other top sprinters. LTdL23 chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said that although Poole’s absence might affects the excitement of this year’s race, Jakobsen’s presence makes up for it. Jakobsen has established himself as one of the world’s top sprinters, which will make the competition in the final dash to the finish line this year more open, intense and unpredictable. “Jakobsen is a‘big name’as he has won one stage at the Tour de France and five stages at the Vuelta a Espana, including winning the Vuelta’s points jersey in 2021. “With a collection of 46 career YEAR’S overall

victories so far, Picnic PostNL appear with the goal of winning a stage in the team’s second appearance this year. “This is because, besides Jakobsen, his teammate Welten also has vast experience and is capable of pulling Jakobsen to the front of the peloton before creating space for the final sprint. Welten himself is capable of securing a stage win,“ said Emir. Welten, 28, who joined the team last year, has experience riding for other major WorldTeams like Arkea-Samsic (2020-2021), Groupama FDJ (2022-2023) and has ridden in three Grand Tours. Without Poole, the battle for the overall individual green jersey this year also rest on the shoulders of 21-year-old rider Juan Guillermo Martinez who was signed from the ProTeam, Q36.5. Koerdl, 21, finished 50th overall last year as a support rider. The Colombian rider was the King of the Mountains at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta last year, in addition to finishing an impressive third overall at the Tour of Turkey and eighth overall at the Tour of Rwanda this year. Another rider sent by the team is Jurgen Zommermaand, 19, who is expected to take on domestique duties for Jakobsen, Koerdl and Martinez. “It will certainly be interesting to see how Picnic PostNL will compete in this LTdL25 as they will be strongly challenged throughout the eight-day race,“ Emir added. – National Sports Council

Juniors up the ante ahead of world bowling meet THE Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) is set to feature its strongest line-up, with several senior players possibly missing out on selection for the World Bowling Championship in Hong Kong from Nov 23 to Dec 6. Pyramid, Petaling Jaya. “So the good thing about this year is we open the opportunity for everyone, which means the national back-up players can also fight for a place in the World Championship team.

the team a good fight. So it’s good for us, it’s a good headache. “I think going into the World Championship this year, it’s going to be a big surprise when the line-up is announced. “We are going to miss a few of the bigger names but the quality of the performance, the quality of the athletes will be the same. We are going there to win,“ he said. For the record, Malaysia’s participation in the 2023 edition in Kuwait saw the country return with one gold and one silver, courtesy of Natasha Mohamed Roslan and Sin Li Jane who faced each other in the women’s singles final. – Bernama

“We are sending the best of the best. We already have the names, the coaches have finalised the recommendation to the Exco (Executive Committee). We are waiting for the Exco’s endorsement,“ Chok added. He said the MTBC will announce the list of 12 players (six men, six women) to answer the country’s challenge within a week. “Actually, the fight is a bit of a surprise to us because the young ones have really, really given

MTBC secretary-general Maradona Chok said the governing body is giving opportunities to existing backup players after they each displayed fierce competition in the race for a slot in the prestigious championship. “This year we have a big squad. We have 23 elite bowlers and 20 junior bowlers,” he said yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championship at Sunway Mega Lanes, Sunway