14/04/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | APR 14, 2026

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RimauStrike disrupts traditional takraw training methods A group of researchers from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) has devel oped a sepak takraw ball launching machine known as RimauStrike, as a sports technology innovation to replace conventional training meth ods. Its Sports Technology Innovation Centre (STIC) director Associate Professor Ts Dr Mohd Hasnun Arif Hassan said RimauStrike was developed to provide a more consistent, repeatable and control lable training system. “This machine is capable of launching sepak takraw balls at adjustable speeds while producing more stable ball deliveries compared to manual methods. Conventional training can be inconsis tent due to factors such as coach fatigue, varying striking force and uneven techniques,” he said in a statement yesterday. According to the statement, besides Mohd Hasnun, RimauStrike was developed together with researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering Technology (FTKMA) UMPSA, Ts Idris Mat Sahat and Ts Dr Mohd Faizal Sadali. Meanwhile, Mohd Hasnun said the research, which began in 2023, was designed to assist coaches in conducting training more systemati cally while enabling players to practise ‘ball feed ing’ at various speeds and delivery intensities. “From an operational perspective, RimauStrike uses a combination of an automatic ‘ball feeding’ system and a high-speed rotating wheel mecha nism. Sepak takraw balls are first stored in a com partment located at the lower section of the machine,” he said. Mohd Hasnun, who is also president of the Malaysian Sports Technology Association (MySTA), said the “ball feeding” system applies a spiral con cept that gradually moves the balls from the stor age section to the launching area. “This spiral mechanism ensures that balls are delivered continuously and systematically to the top section of the machine. Once the ball reaches the launching point, it passes through two high speed rotating wheels powered by an electric motor. “The use of this machine allows players to train in receiving serves from the tekong in a more con sistent and repetitive manner, thereby helping to improve ball control skills, reflexes and overall readiness in real match situations,” he said. He added that the Sepaktakraw Federation of Malaysia (PSM) has also provided funding support for the development of the latest RimauStrike pro totype, helping to enhance the design and per formance of the machine for training suitability. “Additionally, the Pahang State Sports Council (MSP) has supported the use of this technology in the context of state athlete training, while also pro viding feedback on actual training requirements in the sport,” he said. On development costs, he said a single unit of the RimauStrike machine is estimated at around RM25,000, covering raw materials, fabrication processes, prototype development and technical services involved in designing and building the machine. “The cost takes into account design processes, testing and improvements to ensure the machine functions effectively and is suitable for athlete training. This cost has the potential to be reduced if the machine is commercialised in the future,” he said. Meanwhile, he said the research team plans to expand RimauStrike’s capabilities by adding new features such as directional control of ball launches, variations in speed and spin, mobile app-based controls as well as integration with ath lete training data analysis systems. Apart from RimauStrike, the team has also developed several other innovations in sepak tak raw sports technology, such as the Spike Trainer to enhance spiking techniques and ProB, a special ised bandana designed to reduce the risk of head injuries from heading the ball. “We hope that local sports technology innova tions such as RimauStrike can be utilised by sports institutions, schools, universities and sports asso ciations to improve the quality of sepak takraw training,” he said. – Bernama

S’gor chief under fire Mohd Yusoff puzzled by Johan’s off-channel remarks

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Chel sea 0 Manchester City 3 (O’Reilly 51, Guehi 57, Doku 68) , Crystal Palace 2 (Mateta 80, 90+4-pen) Newcastle 1 (Osula 43) , Nottingham Forest 1 (Williams 38) Aston Villa 1 (Murillo 23 og), Sunderland 1 (Mukiele 61) Tottenham 0. P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 32 21 7 4 62 24 70 Man City 31 19 7 5 63 28 64 Man Utd 31 15 10 6 56 43 55 Aston Villa 32 16 7 9 43 38 55 Liverpool 32 15 7 10 52 42 52 Chelsea 32 13 9 10 53 41 48 Brentford 32 13 8 11 48 44 47 Everton 32 13 8 11 39 37 47 Brighton 32 12 10 10 43 37 46 Sunderland 32 12 10 10 33 36 46 Bournemouth 32 10 15 7 48 49 45 Fulham 32 13 5 14 43 46 44 Crystal Palace 31 11 9 11 35 36 42 Newcastle 32 12 6 14 45 47 42 Leeds 31 7 12 12 37 48 33 Nottm Forest 32 8 9 15 32 44 33 West Ham 32 8 8 1640 57 32 Tottenham 32 7 9 1640 51 30 Burnley 32 4 8 2033 63 20 Wolves 32 3 8 2124 58 17 CHAMPIONSHIP: Birmingham City 2 Wrexham 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Coventry 42 25 10 7 84 42 85 Ipswich 40 21 12 7 71 40 75 Millwall 42 21 10 11 56 47 73 Mid’boro 42 20 12 10 62 42 72 Southampton 41 19 12 10 70 50 69 Hull 42 20 8 14 64 60 68 LA LIGA: Osasuna 1 (Budimir 40-pen) Real Betis 1 (Abde 7), Mallorca 3 (Muriqi 36, 40, Virgili 65) Rayo Valle cano 0, Celta Vigo 0 Real Oviedo 3 (Reina 4, Vinas 45, 57) , Athletic Bilbao 1 (Guruzeta 84) Villarreal 2 (Cardona 26, Alfon 45+5) . TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 31 26 1 4 84 30 79 Real Madrid 31 22 4 5 65 29 70 Villarreal 31 19 4 8 56 36 61 Atletico 31 17 6 8 51 32 57 Real Betis 31 11 13 7 45 38 46 Celta Vigo 31 11 11 9 44 40 44 SERIE A: Bologna 2 (Freuler 26, Orso lini 90+2) Lecce 0, Como 3 (Alex Valle 24, Paz 45, Da Cunha 89-pen) Inter 4 (Thuram 45+1, 49, Dumfries 58, 72) , Genoa 2 (Malinovskyi 18, Ekuban 84) Sassuolo 1 (Kone 57) , Parma 1 (Stre fezza 1) Napoli 1 (McTominay 60). TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 32 24 3 5 75 29 75 Napoli 32 20 6 6 48 31 66 AC Milan 32 18 9 5 47 27 63 Juventus 32 17 9 6 55 29 60 Como 32 16 10 6 56 26 58 Roma 32 18 3 11 45 28 57 BUNDESLIGA: Mainz 0 Freiburg 1 (Hoeler 47) , Stuttgart 4 (Stiller 22, Fuehrich 32, Mittelstaedt 56, El Khan nouss 86) Hamburg 0, Cologne 3 (El Mala 7-pen, Ache 65, Backhaus 90+7-og) Werder Bremen 1 (Schmid 76-pen). TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts B. Munich 29 24 4 1 105 27 76 Dortmund 29 19 7 3 60 29 64 Stuttgart 29 17 5 7 60 38 56 RB Leipzig 29 17 5 7 56 36 56 Leverkusen 29 15 7 7 59 39 52 Hoffenheim 29 15 6 8 57 43 51 FRENCH LIGUE 1: Toulouse 0 Lille 4, Nice 1 Le Havre 1, Lyon 2 Lorient 0. TOP 6 P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 27 20 3 4 61 23 63 Lens 28 19 2 7 54 27 59 Lille 29 16 5 8 49 34 53 Marseille 29 16 4 9 58 38 52 Lyon 29 15 6 8 43 29 51 Rennes 29 14 8 7 49 41 50

T HE decision by Selangor FC chief execu tive officer Dr Johan Kamal Hamidon to voice his views outside official channels has raised questions and could poten tially spark polemics within the local football ecosystem, according to a veteran football administrator. Former acting president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi, said the move was puzzling, given that Johan is not new to the country’s football administrative system. He said official platforms, such as meetings of the Malaysian Football League (MFL) board of directors and the MFL Congress, should be fully utilised if there is a genuine intention to improve the situation. “When one chooses to speak outside, it is no longer merely a professional view, but opens the door to various perceptions,” he said in a

statement yesterday. At the same time, Mohd Yusoff described the timing of the remarks as odd, raising speculation about the possibility of certain interests being at play. He said criticising the league via external platforms could also be seen as an effort to exert indirect pressure on the MFL, while shaping a particular narrative. “There is a tendency to build momentum from the outside, dragging in other parties. This is no longer a routine critique. “Its impact risks causing division and undermining the stability of the league,” Yusoff said. As such, Mohd Yusoff stressed that any effort to improve national football must be carried out professionally through proper channels, rather than through open statements that may raise more questions than solutions. – Bernama NATIONAL shooting athlete Johnathan Wong views participation in several world-class com petitions as a crucial platform to strengthen his preparations in pursuit of a maiden gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games this September. The 32-year-old said competing in the World Cup series in Germany this May, as well as in Hangzhou, China in July, will serve as the best stage to assess his current performance level ahead of the quadrennial Games. According to him, continuous exposure on the international stage is critical, especially given the strong dominance of Asian shooters at the world level. “Even at the Olympic level, we can see Asian athletes are very dominant. So, the Asian Games are extremely challenging, but I believe the opportunity is still there if I can maintain consis tency,” he said when met recently. AC Esports and Team Flash, who have each picked up a single point. BTRM currently languishes at the bottom of the table, failing to collect a single point after four matches in a disappointing start to their campaign. Aznil targets 310kg NATIONAL weightlifter Muhammad Aznil Bidin is targeting a total lift of 310 kilogrammes (kg) in his bid to secure a hattrick of gold medals at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The 31-year-old athlete, who will compete in the under-65 kg category, said his preparations to achieve that target are on the right track. He said his main focus now is on increasing strength and maintaining consistency in performance ahead of the Games. “At the moment, the focus is on improving my lifts as my personal best is 306 kg. If possible, I will try to lift 310 kg as I believe that total will be enough for me to win gold at the Commonwealth Games,” he told Bernama when contacted yesterday. Aznil won gold in the 62kg category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Johnathan, who has competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, said his confidence is also based on encouraging past performances, including reaching the final at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games as well as qualifying for the final stage of the Asian Championships twice. At the same time, he did not deny the immense challenge of making history as the first Malaysian shooter to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games, given that the country’s best achievement to date remains a silver medal won by Muhammad Ezuan Nasir Khan and Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi (team rifle) at the Incheon 2014 Asian Games. “The opportunity is there, but it is not easy. I need to work harder and use every competition as the best possible preparation,” he said. – Bernama

Wong targets breakthrough gold

Johnathan Wong after capturing the gold medal at the 2021 SEA Games. – BERNAMAFILEPIC

BRIEFS

SRG surges to the top DEFENDING champions Selangor Red Giants (SRG) have claimed the top spot in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League Malaysia (MPL MY) Season 17 standings following a dominant Week 2 performance. The four-time consecutive champions delivered a masterclass, securing back-to-back 2-0 clean sweeps against rivals Bigetron MY (BTRM) and Team Flash (FL) to amass four points. Meanwhile, Week 1 leaders RRQ Tora (RRQ) dropped to second place despite also holding four points. The slip comes after they failed to secure straight wins, instead grinding out narrow 2-1 victories against Invictus Gaming and AC Esports, leaving them trailing SRG on score difference. Invictus Gaming currently sits in third place with two points. The middle and lower rungs of the ladder witnessed significant movement. Team Vamos (VMS) and Team Rey climbed to fourth and fifth place, respectively, after securing their first wins of the season. They are followed by