25/08/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | AUG 25, 2025

31

Zii Jia opens up The 27-year-old reveals mental struggles during comeback journey

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH LEAGUE: Manchester City 0 Tottenham 2 (Johnson 35, Palhinha 45+2) , Bourne mouth 1 (Tavernier 4) Wolves 0, Brentford 1 (Ouattara 12) Aston Villa 0, Burnley 2 (Cullen 47, Anthony 88) Sunderland 0, Arsenal 5 (Timber 34, 56, Saka 45+1, Gyokeres 48, 90+5-pen) Leeds 0. P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 Tottenham 2 2 0 0 5 0 6 Chelsea 2 1 1 0 5 1 4 Liverpool 1 1 0 0 4 2 3 Man City 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 Nottm Forest 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 Sunderland 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 Bournemouth 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 Brentford 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Burnley 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Leeds 2 1 0 1 1 5 3 Brighton 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 Fulham 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 Palace 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Newcastle 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Aston Villa 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 Everton 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 Man Utd 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 Wolves 2 0 0 2 0 5 0 West Ham 2 0 0 2 1 8 0 ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP: Charlton Athletic 0 Leicester City 1, Hull City 0 Blackburn Rovers 3, Swansea City 1 Watford 1. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Stoke 3 3 0 0 8 2 9 Mid’boro 3 3 0 0 6 1 9 Coventry 3 2 1 0 12 4 7 West Brom 3 2 1 0 5 3 7 Birmingham 3 2 1 0 4 2 7 Preston 3 2 1 0 4 2 7 SPANISH LA LIGA: Mallorca 1 (Morey 87) Celta Vigo 1 (Rueda 38) , Atletico Madrid 1 (Sorloth 8) Elche 1 (Mir 15) , Levante 2 (Romero 15, Morales 45+7 pen) Barcelona 3 (Pedri 49, Torres 52, Elgezabal 90+1-og) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 2 2 0 0 6 2 6 Betis 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Rayo 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 Villarreal 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 Getafe 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 Athletic 1 1 0 0 3 2 3 ITALIAN SERIE A: Genoa 0 Lecce 0, AC Milan 1 (Pavlovic 45) Cremonese 2 (Baschirotto 28, Bonazzoli 61) , Roma 1 (Wesley 53) Bologna 0, Sassuolo 0 Napoli 2 (McTominay 17, De Bruyne 57) . GERMAN BUNDESLIGA: St Pauli 3 Borussia Dortmund 3, Bayer Leverkusen 1 Hoffenheim 2 , Eintracht Frankfurt 4 Werder Bremen 1, Freiburg 1 Augsburg 3, Union Berlin 2 Stuttgart 1, Heidenheim 1 Wolfsburg 3. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 1 1 0 0 6 0 3 Frankfurt 1 1 0 0 4 1 3 Augsburg 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 Wolfsburg 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 Hoffenheim 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 Union Berlin 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Marseille 5 Paris FC 2, Nice 3 Auxerre 1, Lyon 3 Metz 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Lyon 2 2 0 0 4 0 6 PSG 2 2 0 0 2 0 6 Marseille 2 1 0 1 5 3 3 Monaco 1 1 0 0 3 1 3 Nice 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 Strasbourg 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP: Celtic 3 Livingston 0, Hearts 3 Motherwell 3, Kilmarnock 0 Dundee 0. PREMIER

P ROFESSIONAL men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has revealed that he went through “a little bit of depression” during his five month absence from the court as he bat tled injury and uncertainty over his career. The 27-year-old is set to make his return this week at the World Championships 2025, to be held at the Adidas Arena in Paris, the same venue (the then Porte de la Chapelle Arena) where he clinched bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “During those five months … I was not just dealing with my injuries, I was dealing with stress, and of course, I did have a little bit of depression. “It’s not normal (to be out for five months). I’ve been in a situation that … I wanted to stop playing because of all these injuries, all these things that bothered me. Handball eyes SEA Games return GOOD NEWS for the Malaysia Handball Federation (MAHF) as the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) is considering lifting the suspension on the federation, allowing athletes and officials to participate in the SEA Games in Thailand later this year. OCM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said it is time for handball to return to the mainstream and ensure that athletes and officials are not penalised for the issues that previously

18-23, due to the same ankle injury. To cope with the struggles, the Kedahan said he deliberately shut himself away from badminton news and social media noise. Instead, he embarked on what he described as a “healing trip” that included reading, solo travel, skydiving in Dubai, and visiting art museums in Abu Dhabi. “I travelled as well, to keep my mind fresh. I was sort of obsessed with art. “I figured out that looking at art is something that can express our feelings, not just the good side, sometimes the dark side as well. So that’s why I shared those images,” he said. The world No. 52 is slated to open this year’s world meet campaign against South Korea’s world No. 38 Jeon Hyeok Jin. – Bernama

“It was my first time dealing with this big injury. And when it happened, I was quite shocked as well, and I was clueless,” he was quoted as saying in an article released by the Badminton World Federation official website yesterday. Lee injured his ankle during the World Tour Finals last December and made his return in March at the Orleans Masters, where he lost to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-23, 7-21 in the quarterfi nals. He then competed in the 2025 All England Championships in Birmingham from March 11 16, where he was knocked out in the first round by Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, who won 21-19, 16-21, 12-21. Lee subsequently withdrew from the 2025 Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland, held from March affected MAHF. “Recently, we met with the federation and are considering allowing them back and lifting the suspension because we understand they went through a difficult process earlier.” He added: “We don’t want the athletes and officials to suffer because of that. This time, we want to bring the sport back into the mainstream and, if possible, send our team to the SEA Games and other upcoming tournaments.” Malaysia finish 21st in Rio THE national rhythmic gymnastics squad finished 21st in the group all-around event at the 41st Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. Competing with routines involving ribbons, hoops and balls, Malaysia – represented by Lim Xian Yar, Valerie Ng Zi Yi, Maia Ong Xiao Han, Bernice See Qin Nin, Victoria Tan and Chloe Yap Chun Li – recorded a total of 40.850 points at the championships held at Arena Carioca 1. Japan delivered a dazzling performance to capture the gold medal (55.550pts), while host nation Brazil secured silver (55.250pts) and Spain clinched bronze (54.750pts). Sabah held by Kelantan SABAH FC are still searching for their first Super League victory of the season after being held to a goalless draw by Kelantan The Real Warriors (TRW) FC at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. Sabah only had themselves to blame for failing to break down the visitors’ defence, with their best first half chance coming from striker Darren Lok in the 15th minute. Five minutes before fulltime, substitute Azhad Harraz Arman thought he had broken the deadlock for the Rhinos, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled his effort offside. Kelantan TRW, under the guidance of E. Elavarasan, nearly snatched victory in stoppage time, but rightback Simon Lyngbo’s header was denied by Sabah goalkeeper Damien Lim. Meanwhile, PDRM FC failed to take home advantage, settling for a 0-0 draw against Melaka FC. interpreter yesterday. Her partner Zu Tung described the victory as a major confidence boost and said it was an honour to contribute to Malaysia’s campaign. Meanwhile, head coach Chong Sook Chin hailed the duo as the backbone of the team’s Tokyo mission. “The women’s doubles delivered exactly the level we want to see heading into the Deaflympics. They are one of my strongest gold medal hopes, together with the mixed doubles,” she said. She added that the Jakarta Games provided a crucial benchmark after a long break from international action, offering the players the chance to sharpen their edge before the world stage. Malaysia competed in all five badminton events in Jakarta and clinched titles in two events, the women’s doubles and mixed doubles. – Bernama

BRIEFS

249/25

24/08/2025

2676 5936 9796

6728 3712 9615 8550 7289

9982 8003 5648 5295 3764

0038 8008 2082 6629 8966

2736 0205 3067 1571 9588

RM4,949,359.88

2676 + 9796 5936 + 9796 9796 + 5936

2676 + 5936 5936 + 2676 9796 + 2676

RM379,238.93

7 12162227303536

26 32

PDRM’s Agbrel Noel (left) in action with Malacca during the Super League match. – BERNAMAPIC

Wei Ying–Zu Tung’s win ignites nation’s charge

RM10,190,737.62

MALAYSIA’S women’s doubles stars Boon Wei Ying and Foo Zu Tung proved unstoppable once again, storming past Indonesia’s Dzakiyya Amalia Ma’ruf and Ghaniya Fadlilatun Nisa 21-13, 21-7 to defend their SEA Deaf Games crown in style. The glittering victory powered Malaysia to another gold medal of the Games, underlining the pair’s dominance after also lifting the title in the 2022 edition. More importantly, the golden defence has fuelled Malaysia’s dreams for the Deaflympics in Tokyo this November, where the duo will spearhead the nation’s challenge. “I am so proud and happy that we reached Malaysia’s 17-gold milestone. We trained almost every day to prepare for this moment. “This gold is part of our journey to the Deaflympics. Our dream is a medal, and we aim for gold,” said Wei Ying through a sign language

RM106,225.95

7 6 3 6 9 6 76369

63696

7636

3696

763

696

76

96

36

06

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