27/08/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | AUG 27, 2025

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Deaf Games’ champions deserve recognition, says contingent head

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Newcastle 2 (Guimaraes 57, Osula 88) Liverpool 3 (Gravenberch 35, Ekitike 46, Ngumoha 90+10). TOP 10 P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 Tottenham 2 2 0 0 5 0 6 Liverpool 2 2 0 0 7 4 6 Chelsea 2 1 1 0 5 1 4 Nottm Forest 2 1 1 0 4 2 4 Man City 2 1 0 1 4 2 3 Sunderland 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 Everton 2 1 0 1 2 1 3 Bournemouth 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 Brentford 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 LA LIGA: Athletic Bilbao 1 (Sancet 66-pen) Rayo Vallecano 0, Sevilla 1 (Iglesias 45-og) Getafe 2 (Liso 15, 51). TOP 5 P W D L F A Pts Villarreal 2 2 0 0 7 0 6 Barcelona 2 2 0 0 6 2 6 Real Madrid 2 2 0 0 4 0 6 Getafe 2 2 0 0 4 1 6 Athletic 2 2 0 0 4 2 6 SERIE A: Inter Milan 5 (Bastoni 18, Thuram 36, 62, Martinez 52, Bonny 72) Torino 0, Udinese 1 (Kris tensen 53) Verona 1 (Serdar 73). SHORTS Inter thrash Torino in Serie A opener INTER MILAN began their bid to reclaim the Serie A title with yesterday’s 5-0 hammering of sorry Torino in Cristian Chivu’s San Siro debut as coach. Alessandro Bastoni got the ball rolling in the 18th minute with a brilliant glancing header before Marcus Thuram – who struck in each half – Lautaro Martinez and new boy Ange-Yoan Bonny made sure of a comfortable victory for the hosts. Inter are expected to be Napoli’s main challengers for the Scudetto after conceding the title on the final day of last season, which ended with a traumatic thumping at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. “What happened last year happened last year... all we can do is keep doing our best for Inter,” said Thuram. “This victory means we started the season well and kept a clean sheet too. We are not at 100% yet, but we’re working on it and this is a good start,”Thuram told Sky Sport Italia . Chivu, who won the treble with Inter in 2010, is a novice and joined Inter in the close season after a handful of matches in charge of Parma, his first senior coaching job. “Coming back to the San Siro as a coach is great but I’m trying to concentrate on what I need to do and my responsibilities,” he said “From the first day of pre-season, my players embraced the reality of what they had to do,” said the Romanian. Two out of two for Bilbao, Getafe ATHLETIC BILBAO beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 yesterday to remain unbeaten after two games for their best start to La Liga since 2013 as Getafe also maintained their perfect run 2-1 at Sevilla. Athletic, competing in this season’s Champions League, moved to a five-way tie at the top of the table thanks to Oihan Sancet. Sancet made his mark on his return to action after three weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury sustained in a friendly against Liverpool. He won and converted a penalty in the 66th minute to join champions Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal and Getafe on six points. “It was a hard-fought match and very exhausting because both teams ran a lot, but getting the win is what matters most,” Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said in his post-game press conference. Getafe made it two wins from two with Adrian Liso scoring both goals in a 2-1 win at Sevilla. Liso scored the opener after quarter of an hour, adding a second six minutes after the break. Getafe defender Juan Iglesias accounted for Sevilla’s only goal when he accidently bundled the ball into his own net just before halftime.

“WE have proven it!” – that was the proud expression of Malaysian contingent head Sarkunan Balakrishnan, after the national team wrapped up the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Deaf Games in Jakarta with an impressive haul of 25 gold medals, 16 silver medals and 11 bronze medals, emerging as the overall champion. Sarkunan said this extraordinary achievement deserves recognition from the government through special incentives and rewards for the athletes, coaches, and officials who brought glory to the country. “We truly hope that the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Malaysian government and related parties can provide incentives or rewards as bonuses or tokens of appreciation. This would encourage the growth of deaf sports and motivate our athletes, coaches and officials,” he told Bernama and Radio Televisyen

their game but also reflect Malaysia’s spirit of togetherness. “Listening and communicating are very important. It allows us to share more and better understand each other,” she said. In a multicultural country like Malaysia, Thinaah believes the lessons from their partnership can inspire Malaysians to embrace diversity and move forward as one. She added that every victory carries a collective meaning, extending beyond herself and Pearly to millions of Malaysians who continue to support them. “It always feels amazing to have the whole of Malaysia behind us... that inspires us to fight for more victories,” she said, expressing hope that their story would leave a legacy that resonates far beyond the court. “Unity is about how well we can communicate and understand one another, regardless of race or religion,” she added. Currently ranked world No. 2, Pearly Thinaah are regarded as one of Malaysia’s finest women’s doubles pairs. Since clinching their maiden World Tour title at the 2021 Swiss Open, they have gone on to win three more titles – the 2022 French Open, 2024 Hong Kong Open and 2025 Thailand Open – in addition to capturing the women’s doubles gold medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. – Bernama before joining Uno-X in 2023. With four stage wins at the Tour de France and monument classic victories like Milan-San Remo, Gent-Wevelgem and Tour of Flanders during his prime, Kristoff still has plenty of gas in the tank. He has recorded two wins this year namely Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Andalucia and more recently, Stage 2 of the Arctic Race of Norway on Aug 8. “Blikra’s presence heats up the competition for the King of Sprints orange jersey because there will be many top sprinters this year, including the defending champion Matteo Malucelli and Gleb Syritsa (XDS Astana), Alberto Dainese (Tudor), Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani) and Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic PostNL),“ Emir added. The 29th edition of the LTdL25 will cover all 12 states on the peninsula, with a total distance of 1,243.5km, starting in Langkawi Island and ending at KLCC. – National Sports Council Sports Association (MSDeaf) vice-president, emphasised that this success reflects the impact of the government’s increased support, which has strengthened long-term training and development programmes for deaf athletes. Malaysia will now shoulder greater responsibility after being named host of the 2027 SEA Deaf Games in Penang, where six new events, including orienteering and e sports, are expected to be contested. “We will work closely with the Malaysian government and the Penang government to ensure the Games are organised systematically and optimally,” he said. With this achievement, Malaysia not only reaffirms its status as a regional powerhouse in deaf sports but also proves that its deaf athletes can stand proudly on par with any other contingent in the region. – Bernama

Malaysia (RTM). He also urged state governments to support their respective deaf sports associations, noting that each state association faces heavy financial demands when sending athletes to tournaments. Malaysia closed this second edition of the Games in style, far surpassing the initial target of 16 gold medals. The triumph was made even sweeter by breaking the previous record of 15 golds set in the inaugural edition in Kuala Lumpur in 2022. The 25th gold medal was delivered by female bowler Siw Sing Hie, who dominated the Masters event with a total of 1,491 pinfalls. Overall, Malaysia’s medal tally was driven by strong performances in athletics (10 golds), bowling (8 golds), chess (5 golds) and badminton (2 golds). Sarkunan, who is also Malaysian Deaf

Power of unity

Lessons from badminton partnership can inspire Malaysians to embrace diversity, says Thinaah

F OR national top women’s doubles shuttler M. Thinaah, stepping onto the court with her partner Pearly Tan is more than just play ing badminton – it is a living reminder of the power of unity in a diverse Malaysia. The 27-year-old said that despite the pressure and challenges of competing on the international stage, their ability to stand by each other in both triumph and adversity has kept their partnership strong. “I believe giving each other positive and motivating support really makes a difference... being there through both the good and bad days,” she told Bernama. One of the clearest examples of that bond, Thinaah said, was during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where their partnership was tested but never broken. “Definitely the 2024 Olympics in Paris. We went through many ups and downs, but in the end, we stuck together and kept supporting each other,” she said. Although it ended without a medal after losing 11-21, 11-21 to Japan’s Nami Matsuyama–Chiharu Shida in the bronze medal playoff, Pearly-Thinaah etched history as the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach the Olympic semifinals, surpassing the Rio 2016 achievement of Vivian Hoo–Woon Khe Wei, who made it to the quarterfinals. Thinaah credited communication and understanding as the pillars of their resilience, qualities that not only elevate

Thinaah Muralitharan (left) and Pearly Tan. – BERNAMAPIC

Kristoff, Blikra to lead Uno-X Mobility at LTdL25 DESPITE being at the tail end of his career, Uno-X Mobility ProTeam rider Alexander Kristoff is still considered one of the riders to watch during the Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL25), schedule to begin from Sept 28 to Oct 5. Td25 chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said Kristoff’s presence at the 29th edition of the tour is a huge honour for cycling fans in Malaysia, especially since the 38-year-old rider has announced his retirement at the end of this season.

“Although Kristoff is past his golden era, his presence at the LTdL25 is enough to draw a crowd and with his vast experience riding in Grand Tours and monument classic races, it wouldn’t be surprising if he continues to add to his win tally,“ said Emir in a statement today. Kristoff, one of the most successful Norwegian cyclists in the sport’s history, who was ranked second in the UCI in 2015 and placed second at the 2017 World Championships, first made his name with the Glud & Marstrand-Horsens team in 2006. He has since worn the jersey of world-class teams like BMC Racing, Team Katusha, UAE Team Emirates and Intermarche-Wanty Gobert

With 98 victories over his 20-year professional career, Kristoff has more than enough experience to add to his winning collection at the LTdL25. The route for each stage at this year’s tour seems to favour his strengths as a sprinter and puncher who likes to make solo breaks. While all eyes are on his teammate, the 2022 King of Sprints Erlend Blikra is likely to repeat his performance from three years ago, especially at long stages like Stage 3 (Gerik Pasir Puteh), Stage 7 (Melaka-Medini) and Stage 8 (Tangkak-KLCC), and it seem perfectly suited to Kristoff’s style, as he’s known for excelling in one-day classic races.