21/01/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2026

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“For fencing and football, I under stand that the currently available facili ties meet the basic requirements of the organisation. ‘We knew it would be tough’ THE Malaysian men’s cerebral palsy (CP) football team, the defending champi ons, paid the price for adopting a defen sive approach as they began their Asean Para Games (APG) 2025 campaign with a 3-0 loss to Indonesia at the Rajabhat University Nakhon Ratchasima Stadium on Monday. National coach Asnan Md Zuki said they had no choice but to play

defensively against a very strong opposition. We knew it would be tough against Indonesia. Based on our previous experience, including during the World Cup Qualifiers, we knew they had the advantage in terms of player quality and exposure. “Our defensive approach actually worked, as we were only down 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, we were let down by our inability to go on the offensive,” he told Bernama. Malaysia are scheduled to play Myanmar tomorrow, followed by Thailand on Friday and the Philippines on Saturday. ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Brigh ton 1 (Kostoulas 90+1) Bournemouth 1 (Tavernier 32-pen) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 22 15 5 2 40 14 50 Man City 22 13 4 5 45 21 43 Aston Villa 22 13 4 5 33 25 43 Liverpool 22 10 6 6 33 29 36 Man Utd 22 9 8 5 38 32 35 Chelsea 22 9 7 6 36 24 34 Brentford 22 10 3 9 35 30 33 Newcastle 22 9 6 7 32 27 33 Sunderland 22 8 9 5 23 23 33 Everton 22 9 5 8 24 25 32 Fulham 22 9 4 9 30 31 31 Brighton 22 7 9 6 32 29 30 Crystal Palace 22 7 7 8 23 25 28 Tottenham 22 7 6 9 31 29 27 Bournemouth 22 6 9 7 35 41 27 Leeds 22 6 7 9 30 37 25 Nottm Forest 22 6 4 12 21 34 22 West Ham 22 4 5 1324 44 17 Burnley 22 3 5 1423 42 14 Wolves 22 1 5 1615 41 8 LA LIGA: Elche 2 (Febas 14, Valera 55) Sevilla 2 (Adams 75, 90+2-pen) . TOP 10 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 20 16 1 3 54 22 49 Real Madrid 20 15 3 2 43 17 48 Villarreal 19 13 2 4 37 19 41 Atletico 20 12 5 3 35 17 41 Espanyol 20 10 4 6 23 22 34 Real Betis 20 8 8 4 33 25 32 Celta Vigo 20 8 8 4 28 20 32 Elche 20 5 9 6 27 26 24 Sociedad 20 6 6 8 26 28 24 Bilbao 20 7 3 1019 28 24 SERIE A: Cremonese 0 Verona 0, Lazio 0 Como 3 (Baturina 2, Paz 24, 49) . TOP 10 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 21 16 1 4 44 17 49 AC Milan 21 13 7 1 34 16 46 Napoli 21 13 4 4 31 17 43 Roma 21 14 0 7 26 12 42 Juventus 21 11 6 4 32 17 39 Como 21 10 7 4 31 16 37 Atalanta 21 8 8 5 26 20 32 Bologna 21 8 6 7 30 24 30 Lazio 21 7 7 7 21 19 28 Udinese 21 7 5 9 22 33 26 RESULTS & STANDINGS

they had lost in the semifinals of the India Open in New Delhi. National women’s doubles combi nation of Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting also suffered an early exit after losing 19-21, 18-21 to Japan’s sixth-seeded Kaho Osawa-Mai Tanabe. UiTM ready to host Sukma football, fencing UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has reached nearly 90% readiness to serve as the venue for football and fencing events during the 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma), scheduled from Aug 15-24.

This progress was achieved through the improvement of sports facilities at the campus, including the upgrading of the UiTM Stadium Synthetic Track, which was completed in less than a year at a cost of nearly RM3 million. UiTM vice-chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr. Shahrin Sahib @ Sahibuddin, said that the synthetic track upgrade reflects the university’s ongoing com mitment to empowering the develop ment of national-standard sports infra structure. “The selection of UiTM as a Sukma venue is based on existing facilities reviewed by the secretariat; in their view, we are almost fully prepared.

BRIEFS

T HE roar of Istora Senayan in Jakarta awaits national men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh, who is set to step onto one of badminton’s most iconic venues for the first time at the Indonesia Masters today. The world No. 37 Hoh will open his campaign against world No. 28 Wang Zheng Xing of China. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said mastering the unique conditions at Istora Senayan, from the draft to the famously vocal crowd, could be the real separator for both players. “I think it will be the first time for both of them playing at Istora Senayan, which is also an experience. “The one that deals the best with the environment there – the draft, the crowd – will have the biggest success,” he told reporters when met at a train ing session in Kuala Lumpur yester day. The top seeds went down 22-20, 19-21, 16-21 to Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in the Super 500 tournament at Istora Senayan. The defeat comes just days after Aaron-Wooi Yik crash out of Indonesian Masters TOP national men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik crashed out in the first round of the Indonesia Master badminton championships in Jakarta yesterday. Red Giants leave it late to down KRW SELANGOR FC sensational striker Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim helped his team secure a 2-1 victory against Kelantan The Real Warriors FC (Kelantan TRW) in dramatic fashion during their first 2025/26 Malaysia Cup round-of-16 match at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, on Monday night. Kelantan TRW had opened accounts first through Alexander Lyngbo in the 25th minute to put the home team ahead during the first half, while Selangor had to wait till the second half to even things up through Muhammad Faisal’s goal in the 60th minute. And just as the match looked like it would end as a draw, Muhammad Faisal rose to the occasion and scored the winning goal in injury time, allowing Selangor FC a slight advantage when the teams meet again for the second leg at Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium on Friday. In the second Malaysia Cup match, Terengganu FC (TFC) beat UM-Damansara United 2-0 at UM Arena Stadium, Universiti Malaya, taking only five minutes to score their first goal through Brazilian striker Careca. The second goal of the match was an unfor tunate moment for UM-Damansara United as team captain deflected TFC’s freekick into his own goal in the 78th minute, leading to the 2-0 win for the visiting team. Both teams will play the second leg at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium on Friday. – Bernama Real Warrior’s Alexander Lyngbo (right) in action against Selangor in the Malaysia Cup match at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium on Monday. – BERNAMAPIC

‘Embrace the roar’ Hoh has to master Istora Senayan conditions, says Jonassen

psychological edge into the match, having beaten Zheng Xing when they first crossed paths in the Korea Open 2025 first round in September. Jonassen also addressed the absence of another national men’s singles player, Leong Jun Hao, from the Indonesia Masters, explaining that the decision was made as a pre cautionary measure. “I wouldn’t call it injuries, but I would call it issues that didn’t allow him to push correctly in the training sessions. “Going to a World Tour Super 500 event, playing top players, you need to be able to perform at your highest

He said that rather than shrinking from the moment, Justin should embrace the occasion, likening the atmosphere to a home crowd in Kuala Lumpur. The Super 500 tour nament runs from today until Jan 25. Still, the Dane stressed that enjoyment must be matched with intent, with the 21-year-old needing to seize control of the contest. “But he definitely has to control the rhythm of the game and be the more aggressive of the two. And let’s see how it pans out.” Despite being ranked lower than his Chinese opponent, Justin carries a

level… not to risk aggravating any smaller issues,” he said. In related news, national men’s singles player Ng Tze Yong said he will undergo another test before returning to full on-court training. Tze Yong, who has been recover ing from an anterior cruciate liga ment (ACL) injury since last year, said the test is intended to ensure balance in muscles in both legs. “I think the test will be carried out in a few weeks,” he told reporters after a training session yesterday. The 25-year-old, who is currently only undergoing light training, said his recovery is progressing smoothly and he no longer experiences the pain he felt previously. The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist also said he would leave it to his coaching team to deter mine the actual date he can return to competition. Asked whether the ACL injury was the toughest period in his career, Tze Yong said he was more affected by the impact of a spinal injury he suffered in 2024. “I think the last injury was tougher because it was my first injury, and emotionally I didn’t know how to cope, but now the sec ond injury is more manageable,” he said. He added that he must stay strong to face the setbacks to avoid regretting decisions that could pre maturely end his badminton career. The Johor-born player sustained the injury during the first round of the 2025 Malaysia Masters against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, forcing him to withdraw from the match. – Bernama

Bonnie hopes to powerlift two golds at APG

TWO-TIME Paralympic powerlifting gold medallist Bonnie Bunyau Gustin will begin his Asean Para Games (APG) Thailand 2025 cam paign in the men’s 80kg event with his sights set on the gold medal. With just the 26-year-old Bonnie and another powerlifter from Thailand competing, the Malaysian knows that he has to stay calm, focused and have faith in his own abilities. “The men’s 80kg category has only two competitors… I will need to lift around 200kg if I hope to strike gold,” he told reporters at Terminal 21 Korat in Nakhon Ratchasima yester day. Bonnie, who is competing in the APG for the first time since the 2017 edition in Malaysia, admitted that the biennial Games in Nakhon Ratchasima hold a special meaning in his jour ney with the national team.

with most sports having finalised their plans through their respective team managers’ meet ings. “So far, we have been informed by the Paralympic Council Malaysia (MPM) and the secretariat that our targets have not been affected by Cambodia’s withdrawal. “The chef de mission has also announced that we aim to win 181 medals throughout our participation in the APG,” he said. On another matter, Jefri said early prepara tions towards the Malaysia 2027 SEA Games and Malaysia 2027 Asean Para Games have begun comprehensively through collaboration among various relevant agencies. He said preparations for para athletes will officially begin in April, while able-bodied ath letes will start their preparation programmes earlier, beginning on Feb 11. – Bernama

“For me, there will always be challenges. I never take them lightly. We do not know what will happen during the competition. For now, I am all ready to compete,” he said. When Bonnie won the two Paralympic pow erlifting gold medals, he was competing in the 72kg category. This will be the first time he is trying his hand at the 80kg category. Bonnie will also be accompanied by his elder brother Bryan Junency Gustin (88kg cate gory), with both events set to be held on Saturday. Meanwhile, the withdrawal of Cambodia from APG 2025 has not affected the national contingent’s targets, with Malaysia still aiming for 181 medals, according to National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin. He said the assessment of the contingent’s targets was made after a structured process,