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SPORTS 15 theSun on Sunday FEB 8, 2026

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Terengganu coach pleased with team’s performance

SHORTS

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Leeds 3 (Bogle 26, Okafor 30, Calvert-Lewin 49) Nottingham Forest 1 (Lucca 86) . Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 24 16 5 3 46 17 53 Man City 24 14 5 5 49 23 47 Aston Villa 24 14 4 6 35 26 46 Man Utd 24 11 8 5 44 36 41 Chelsea 24 11 7 6 42 27 40 Liverpool 24 11 6 7 39 33 39 CHAMPIONSHIP: Charlton Athletic 0 QPR 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Coventry 30 17 7 6 63 35 58 Mid’boro 30 17 7 6 47 29 58 Hull 30 16 6 8 48 40 54 Ipswich 29 14 9 6 49 28 51 Millwall 30 14 8 8 37 36 50 Wrexham 30 12 11 7 44 37 47 LA LIGA: Celta Vigo 1 (Iglesias 53-Pen) Osasuna 2 (Budimir 35, Garcia 79) . SERIE A: Verona 0 Pisa 0. BUNDESLIGA: Union Berlin 1 Eintracht Frank furt 1. FRENCH LIGUE 1: Metz 0 Lille 0.

KBS ENCOURAGES WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) encourages the participation of more women in sports and to boost the number of women athletes in the country. Its minister, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said that women par ticipation in various sports is encour aging and they have displayed a high level of fighting spirit in their dis ciplines. “We see many of these women have become icons that make our country proud. That’s why we want to encourage more women to participate in various sports, espe cially at the grassroots level,” he said after visiting the Milo All Girls Touch Rugby (AGTR) Series 2026 at the Malaysian Teaching Institute Sultan Abdul Halim Campus yesterday. He said that sports are supposed to unite people and should not be dif ferentiated by gender or back ground. “We want to empower women in sports, and sports also inculcates discipline and teamspirit,” he said, adding that the country was on the right track by having many women athletes capable of repre senting Malaysia. “For this we need to work with schools, universities and the National Sports Council to ensure their talent can be lifted to a higher level,” he added. Malaysian women’s squash ace S. Sivasangari advanced to the quarter finals of the Windy City Open 2026 after an impressive win in the round of 16 in Chicago yesterday. The sixth seed produced a composed display to defeat Egypt’s Kenzy Ayman 3-1, winning 11-5, 11-4, 10-12, 11-6 in a 36 minute encounter. She will next face third seed Nour Elsherbini of Egypt in the quarterfinals today. Malaysia’s campaign in the men’s category of the 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Qingdao, China, ended in the quar terfinals today after a 0-3 defeat to Japan, thus failing to defend the sil ver medal won in the 2024 edition. The defeat sees Malaysia missing out on the semifinals and, conse quently, failing to secure an auto matic qualification slot for the Thomas Cup since only the top four teams qualify on merit through this tournament. However, the national squad’s chances are not entirely over, as they could still qualify based on their standing as one of the top three teams among countries that did not qualify through continental championships. In the first singles match, Justin Hoh put up a spirited fight but ultimately fell to Yushi Tanaka 17-21, 22-20, 11-21 in three sets, putting Malaysia behind 0-1. The men’s doubles pair, Arif Junaidi Yap Roy King failed to overcome the clinical pressure of Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi, losing 14-21, 12-21 in straight sets. In the second singles match, Aidil Sholeh was unable to maintain his momentum, eventually succumbing to Koki Watanabe 22 20, 11-21, 3-21. For the record, Malaysia’s best achievement in the men’s category of this tournament was winning the gold medal in the 2022 edition. They also secured sil ver medals in 2020 and 2024, and a bronze in 2018. SIVASANGARI BREEZES INTO WINDY CITY QUARTERS MALAYSIA FAIL TO DEFEND SILVER MEDAL

strengths, especially in midfield. But, alhamdulillah, we were able to match their quality,” he said after the match. Tengku Hazman said he has always been confident in his players’ abilities and hopes the same mistakes will not be repeated in the upcoming second-leg quarterfinal. Meanwhile, KL City FC head coach Risto Vidakovic described TFC as the toughest opponents to break down, citing the pres ence of quality players and a strong fight ing spirit. According to him, the inclusion of new striker Gervane Kastaneer from Curaçao has also helped to further strengthen the Turtles’ attacking line. “I think we played a very good game today. We controlled almost the entire match. Overall, I am satisfied with the result. “We still have 90 minutes to play in Kuala Lumpur and need to focus on the next match. I expect much more from my players because it will be a very, very tough game in KL,” he said. – Bernama

TERENGGANU FC (TFC) interim head coach Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan expressed satisfaction with his team’s per formance despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Kuala Lumpur City FC (KL City FC) in the first-leg Malaysia Cup quarterfinal at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium (SSMZA) on Friday night. The Kelantan-born coach said the play ers worked hard to create as many chances as possible to ensure the Turtles could take a comfortable advantage into the second-leg quarterfinal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 13. However, he said the pressure of facing a strong side like KL City FC led to mistakes and lapses in concentration, which resulted in his team conceding a late equaliser. “Overall, I am satisfied with the commit ment shown by the players. However, a lack of concentration in the closing stages saw us punished with an equalising goal, despite leading 1-0 until the 83rd minute. “When playing against a big team, we can see that KL City FC have individual

The good, the bad & the ugly

323/26

07/02/2026

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Divided opinions on SIC from Marquez brothers

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THE Sepang International Circuit (SIC) continues to in the MotoGP paddock, with riders describing the Malaysian venue as both a “favourite” and the “most unforgiving” track on the world championship calendar. As pre-season winter testing con cludes ahead of the 2026 campaign, riders praised the 5.543 kilometre (km) circuit, which remains one of the most technical and demanding layouts in world motorsport. For reigning world champion Marc Marquez (pic) , who spearheads the Ducati Lenovo team, Sepang remains a daunting challenge despite his deco rated career. The Spaniard labelled the track as one of his “worst” venues, citing a lay out that clashes with his aggressive rid ing style. “To be honest, it’s one of my worst tracks. It’s one of the layouts that I struggle with the most. For some rea son, my riding style always struggles here and at Catalunya. I don’t particu larly like the layout, even though I feel comfortable being in Malaysia,” he said during the Moto Grand Prix (GP) 2026 season launch at Petronas Twin Towers yesterday. Despite his previous struggles at SIC, the seven-time MotoGP champion remains unfazed by the pressure of defending his title. “I don’t feel pressured because the most challenging thing in my career,

coming back from injury, is already done. I will give 100 per cent to fight for the championship because that is why we are with Ducati Lenovo, but I feel relaxed and happy,” he added. In stark contrast, his younger brother and BK8 Gresini Team rider Alex Marquez views the Sepang track as one of his favourites. Having dominated the Malaysian GP last year, Alex enters the new season with high confidence after topping the winter testing timesheets last Thursday. “It is one of my favourite tracks. I have achieved many good results here, and I have a really good feeling at Sepang. I won the Moto2 title here, so it holds a special place for me,” Alex said. The younger Marquez also high lighted the unique energy of the local crowd, noting the distinction between Asian and European fanbases. “The Asian fans are really noisy, passionate and ‘crazy’ in a way we love. The European fans are also noisy, but a little more calm. We enjoy having both kinds of atmospheres throughout the season,” he said. The Malaysian MotoGP has been a staple at SIC since 1999, only missing the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2026 season is expected to draw record crowds as the rivalry between the Marquez brothers intensifies on the world stage. – Bernama

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