25/04/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | APR 25, 2026

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Respect beyond rivalry Zii Jia honours Axelsen for support during difficult career moments N OT all rivalries are defined by tension. For professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia, his relationship with former world No. 1 from Denmark, Viktor report, and he passed it to a friend who is a sur geon. From there, I got the contact number, and we communicated through phone,” he told Bernama when met during the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2026 in Forum Horsens.

Haziq sharpens mental edge ahead of WC LA LIGA: Levante 2 (Romero 38, 90+3) S evilla 0, R ayo Vallecano 1 (Camello 87) Espanyol 0, R eal Oviedo 1 (Ilyas 69) Villarreal 1 (Pepe 13-pen) . P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 32 27 1 4 85 30 82 Real Madrid 32 23 4 5 67 30 73 Villarreal 32 19 5 8 57 37 62 Atletico 32 17 6 9 53 35 57 Real Betis 32 12 13 7 48 40 49 Getafe 32 13 5 14 28 32 44 Celta Vigo 32 11 11 10 44 41 44 Sociedad 32 11 9 12 49 49 42 Bilbao 32 12 5 15 34 45 41 Osasuna 32 10 9 13 37 39 39 Vallecano 32 9 11 12 30 38 38 Espanyol 32 10 8 14 37 49 38 Girona 32 9 11 12 35 48 38 Valencia 32 9 9 14 35 47 36 Mallorca 32 9 8 15 40 49 35 Elche 32 8 11 13 42 49 35 Sevilla 32 9 7 16 39 53 34 Alaves 32 8 9 15 36 48 33 Levante 32 8 8 16 37 50 32 Real Oviedo 32 6 10 16 25 49 28 GE R MAN CUP (semifinals) : Stuttgart 2 Freiburg 1 aet . RESULTS & STANDINGS NATIONAL sepak takraw player Haziq Hairul Nizam is leaving nothing to chance as he gears himself up both mentally and physically for the 2026 Sepaktakraw World Cup at the Titiwangsa Stadium here from May 16-23. Haziq, who is the tekong (server), acknowledged the importance of being thoroughly prepared mentally, especially with the added pressure of playing on home ground. “As for me, there is pressure playing on home ground. So, I need to be mentally strong. Who wouldn’t want to give their best when playing on home ground?”, he said when met recently, adding that the national team had been preparing for the World Cup since January. He also reminded the national players not to become complacent just because they ended a 34-year gold medal drought in the team regu event at last year’s Thailand SEA Games, saying that the Thais will be pumped up to make amends at the World Cup. “We cannot be too comfortable with the SEA Games victory. For the World Cup, we will try to play to our usual strengths and strive to bring glory to Malaysia,” he vowed. For the World Cup, Malaysia have been drawn in Group A with Japan and Singapore, while for the team regu event, Malaysia are placed in Group B with India and Myanmar. At the 2024 World Cup, which was also held here, Malaysia emerged champions in the Premier Division men’s double and regu events while Thailand won the Premier Division team regu title. – Bernama

“I will definitely miss playing against him. Personally, I felt lucky to have beaten him before. “He was such a great player. I never got to play against Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei or Lin Dan (China), so this is something I am proud of,” he said. On April 15, Axelsen announced his retire ment due to a persistent back injury, closing the chapter on a historic badminton career. Apart from Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, the 32-year-old won two world titles in 2017 and 2022, and was part of Denmark’s team that lifted their only Thomas Cup title in 2016. The Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2026 kicked off yesterday and will run until May 3. Five-time champions Malaysia will open their Thomas Cup Group B campaign against England today, followed by Finland on April 27, before wrapping up the group stage against 2014 champion Japan on April 29. – Bernama

Axelsen, reveals a different side of elite sport – one shaped by respect and quiet support beyond the court. As Axelsen bowed out from the international stage recently, Zii Jia paid tribute not just to a dominant opponent but to a figure who played a meaningful role during one of the toughest periods of his career. During his back injury struggles last year, Zii Jia revealed that the two-time Olympic cham pion went out of his way to help, even connect ing him with medical support. “Last year, I had a back injury. He gave me a lot of advice and even introduced me to his doc tor. I had asked Axelsen (about how to deal with the injury) because my case was quite similar to his, although his was more serious. “He then asked me to send him my MRI

The current world No. 82 said their bond also grew through an unexpected off-court moment in Europe, when a flight disruption turned into an impromptu dinner between the two. “I think our flight was cancelled in Amsterdam, and he invited me out for dinner. “We talked a lot about off-court things, like his hobbies and other stuff. He is a very good senior player and always gives advice,” he said. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games bronze medallist also said Axelsen’s legacy is unques tionable as the Dane is a player who defined an era in men’s singles badminton. While they met as rivals on court, the 28 year-old admitted he feels fortunate to have shared those battles with Axelsen, who won seven of 10 their encounters.

NO PA R TNE R , no panic. National women’s doubles shuttler M. Thinaah is embracing her role as skipper, ready to lead with belief and a desire to enjoy the game in the Uber Cup Finals 2026 today. With regular partner Pearly Tan side lined with injury, the pressure naturally shifts to Thinaah, who, instead of feeling bogged down, is choosing belief over bur den. Thinaah is, in fact, ready to inspire the youthful squad – half of them newcomers – by keeping things light and easy – and positive – as they prepare for their Group B opener against Turkiye. “I don’t want to put any pressure on myself or my teammates. As you can see, this is not a senior team, and most of them are juniors, but they are doing very well. “I’ve seen their commitment since we came here for the training camp, and over the past few days on the test courts. Everyone is in high spirits. I think it’s defi nitely going to be fun and exciting playing with them,” she said. Last week, the 26-year-old Pearly with drew from the Uber Cup Finals due to a recurring back injury, with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) drafting in Chong Jie Yu as her replacement. Instead of dwelling on the setback, Thinaah intends to build a united and sup portive environment within the team, where experience and youth blend to drive the team forward. Malaysia’s Uber Cup team will feature five fresh faces – Carmen Ting, Ong Xin Yee, Low Zi Yu, Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Jie Yu, all of them from the women’s dou bles camp. The women’s singles challenge will be led by K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi and professional shuttler Goh Jin Wei. After facing Turkiye, Malaysia will take on South Africa on Sunday (April 26) before wrapping up the group stage with a stern test against six-time champions Japan on April 27. Only the top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals of the April 24-May 3 Uber Cup Finals. – Bernama Thinaah ready to inspire team in Horsens

Kalesic sinks Sabah

S A B AH FC’ S hopes of extending their winning run after lifting the Challenge Cup four days ago were dashed as they fell 0-1 to Melaka FC on Thurday night. The only goal of the match at Stadium Hang Jebat, Krubong was scored by Dino Kalesic in the 68th minute, with Umar Hakeem claiming the assist. Sabah piled on the pres sure in final minutes of the game in search of an equaliser, but were unable to find the back of the net. The victory was crucial for Melaka FC to lift themselves out of the relegation zone in the table with four matches remaining in the Super League campaign. The narrow win saw E. Elavarasan’s squad jump to 10th place, overtaking Sabah, who dropped to 11th following the defeat. – Bernama

Melaka’s Aroon Kumar Ramaloo (right) is challenged by Sabah’s Ernesto Amantegui Phumipha during the Malaysia Super League match at Hang Jebat Stadium yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Karim reassures on transparency and athlete welfare MALAY S IA ATHLETIC S (MA) president Datuk Karim Ibrahim has clarified that his leadership has not dis regarded checks and balances in governance, and that the welfare of athletes and coaches has been prioritised since he took over the association last year. tracts, incentive payment for former athletes, involvement of ex-athletes in coaching, talent identi fication, foreign coaching expertise, organisation of competitions, motivational support, role of former athletes in development programmes and the establishment of an organisation for former athletes. “During the session, the MA also took into account the views of former national athletes in drafting a strategic collaboration with other stake holders, such as the National Sports Council (NSC) and other government agencies,” he said in a state ment yesterday. Karim also stressed that he is open to the views of all parties, particularly former athletes, to ensure the transparent and professional management of the MA. He said that one of the initiatives involved dis cussing various topics with former national athletes at a meeting on Jan 3. “The issues discussed included coaches’ con According to him, some of those who attended the discussion were former national athletics head

coach Mohd Zaki Sadri, Nordin Jadi, Nur Herman Majid, Datuk Zaiton Othman, G. Shanti, Sajarutuldur Hamzah, Annastasia Karen Raj, Nazmizan Muhammad, Zafril Zuslaini and Mohd Robani Hassan. Karim also said that he has outlined changes in policies and guidelines covering all aspects of MA’s governance, including a safe sport code, standard operating procedures for the approval of competi tions, marathon events, medical and anti-doping methods and a contractor registration system. He also called on stakeholders with ideas to develop athletics to come forward through proper channels. – Bernama