16/04/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 16, 2026

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Dark horse tag embraced

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH Ports mouth 2 Ipswich Town 0, Southampton 3 Blackburn Rovers 0. P W D L F A Pts Coventry 42 25 10 7 84 42 85 Ipswich 41 21 12 8 71 42 75 Millwall 42 21 10 11 56 47 73 Southampton 42 20 12 10 73 50 72 Mid’boro 42 20 12 10 62 42 72 Hull 42 20 8 14 64 60 68 Wrexham 42 17 13 12 63 60 64 Derby 42 18 9 15 61 53 63 Norwich 42 17 7 18 55 50 58 Bristol City 42 16 10 16 52 51 58 QPR 42 16 10 16 58 63 58 Watford 42 14 15 13 52 51 57 Preston 42 14 15 13 50 53 57 Swansea 42 16 9 17 50 54 57 Birmingham 42 15 11 16 51 52 56 Stoke 42 15 10 17 49 46 55 Sheff Utd 42 16 6 20 59 59 54 Charlton 42 12 13 17 39 51 49 Portsmouth 42 12 12 18 43 57 48 Blackburn 43 12 12 19 38 53 48 West Brom 42 11 13 18 42 56 46 Oxford 42 10 14 18 41 54 44 Leicester 42 11 14 17 54 64 41 Sheff Wed 42 1 11 30 25 82 -4 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (Quarterfinals, 2nd leg) : Atletico de Madrid 1 Barcelona 2 – Atletico Madrid win 3-2 on agg , Liver pool 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2 – PSG win 4-0 on agg . CHAMPIONSHIP:

Zii Jia backs squad depth to challenge stronger opponents in Denmark

National professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia. – BERNAMAPIC

N ATIONAL professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia sees Malaysia as a team that has the potential to spring a surprise at the 2026 Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark from April 24 to May 3. The 28-year-old player, who is a bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said the status gives the national squad a distinct advan tage which is seen as having the opportunity to go far if each player plays their respective roles well. “I mean for me the Malaysian team is defi nitely a ‘dark horse.’ The chance is there but for myself I don’t put my expectation too high. Just trying to do my part mostly as a third single. “Its important I can (really) play all out, (and also) everyone has an very important role in the team so I think no matter who plays I think just give all out,” he told reporters at the Badminton Academy Malaysia (ABM) on Tuesday. The national squad gathered at ABM on Tuesday before departing for Herning to con duct a centralised training camp for the pres tigious tournament later this month in an effort to chase the championship that was last

won in 1992. “I’m really happy to be selected for the Thomas Cup again especially when my recent performance has not been good. (So) thank you BAM for trusting me,” he said. Lee had previously struggled with injuries since suffering an ankle problem at the World Tour Finals in December 2024 before returning to action at the Orleans Masters and All England in March last year. With the ankle injury still not fully healed, he had to rest again before returning to the court at the World Championships in Paris, last August. In September, he played at the Hong Kong Open before withdrawing in the first round of the China Masters due to a back injury. Following that, the Kedah-born player decided to take a complete break to focus on recovery. Since returning to action starting with the 2026 Malaysia Open in January, he has only advanced to the quarterfinals once, namely the 2026 Thailand Masters (January) out of the total six tournaments he participated in this year. – Bernama

Double world champ Axelsen bows out at 32 DENMARK’S double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen announced his retirement at 32 yes terday, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level”. players in history, having also won two world titles and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He spent more than 100 consecutive weeks at the top of the men’s singles world rankings, an achievement surpassed only by Malaysian great Lee Chong-wei.

MNCF lands major grant

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THE Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has received a RM825,000 Sports Matching Grant (GPS) to support the organisation of the final round of the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup. MNCF president Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said the contribution will be used for the event, which will be held at the National Velodrome Malaysia in Nilai from April 24 to 26, reflecting the government’s concern and support for the development of cycling. “Personally, and on behalf of MNCF, I am very grateful to the Malaysian government, particularly the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS). This RM825,000 GPS funding will certainly ease MNCF’s burden. “I am also very Taufiq (Johari) and KBS secre tary-general (Datuk Rahimi Ismail) for their support to MNCF,” he said in a statement yesterday. Amarjit, who is also president of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), said the additional alloca tion is highly significant and reflects the government’s strong commitment to ensuring Malaysia can successfully host a world-class event. A total of 46 countries have confirmed participation in the final round of the 2026 Track Cycling World Cup so far, making it the most well-subscribed edition. Amarjit, who is also a vice-presi dent of the UCI, said that among the top riders who have confirmed participation are five-time Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, Nicholas Paul (Trinidad and Tobago), Sebastien Vigier (France), and Danial Staniszewski (Poland). – Bernama thankful to Minister Dr Mohammed

9156 1260 7675

Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not managed to overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult. But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue,” he said in a state ment. Axelsen retires as one of the most de c o - rated

Standing 194cm and making full use of his giant wingspan, Axelsen redefined what a player could do on the court. He was also popular with fans around the world and spoke fluent Mandarin. Axelsen said he had “accomplished everything I once dreamed of, and more”. “What makes it hardest to say goodbye is not the competition itself, but everything around it, the jour ney, the daily grind, the people,” he said. Axelsen won Olympic gold at the pandemic delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 without dropping a single game all tournament. He beat China’s Chen Long in the final, becoming the first non-Asian to claim the title since 1996. He followed that up by defending his title at the Paris Games, emulating his hero Lin Dan by winning back-to-back Olympic golds. He then began to struggle with injuries and spent prolonged periods off the court. “I have given everything to this sport,” he said. “It has never been just a career to me. It has been my life and I have left no stone unturned.” Axelsen retires as only the second non-Asian player after countryman Thomas Lund to win the world title twice, which he achieved in 2017 and 2022. He won the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals three times in a row from 2021 to 2023. – AFP Cheah said Mohamad Faris needs to perform bet ter in two international tournaments in France and Ireland to improve his world ranking. He said if Mohamad Faris is unable to qualify, he may instead focus fully on the SU5 singles event. Commenting on his target at the Asian Para Games, Cheah said he is aiming to reclaim the SU5 singles gold medal, which he last won at the 2014 edition in South Korea. “My target is to get back the gold medal in the singles event. “In terms of preparation, it is very important for me to improve my physical condition. Now I feel there are a few things I need to fix to ensure I can be consistent,” he said. The 2026 Asian Para Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from Oct 18 to 24, with para badminton remaining one of the key medal sports for Malaysia. – Bernama

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Gold medallist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark bites his medal during the men’s singles victory ceremony at the Paris Olympics on Aug 5, 2024. – REUTERSPIC

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Liek Hou eyes Aichi spot

MALAYSIAN para badminton ace Cheah Liek Hou is almost certain to qualify for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in the singles event based on his current ranking. The world No. 1 said he is confident of meeting the qualification criteria based on his current stand ing, with the qualification period expected to end in July. However, the situation is different for the doubles event, as his partner Mohamad Faris Ahmad Azri, who competes in the SU5 men’s doubles category, still needs to accumulate qualifying points to secure a spot at the Asian Para Games in October. “I think I have already qualified because I am cur rently world No. 1. “For my doubles partner, he has not qualified yet. So he needs to push himself to win a few rounds in upcoming international tournaments,” he told Bernama recently. n ace Cheah Liek Hou is

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