13/05/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAY 13, 2026

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Pahang strengthen squad ahead of crucial season THE Pahang Sepaktakraw

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Spurs 1 (Tel 50) Leeds 1 (Calvert-Lewin 74-pen). P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 36 24 7 5 68 26 79 Man City 35 22 8 5 72 32 74 Man Utd 36 18 11 7 63 48 65 Liverpool 36 17 8 11 60 48 59 Aston Villa 36 17 8 11 50 46 59 Bournemouth 36 13 16 7 56 52 55 Brighton 36 14 11 11 52 42 53 Brentford 36 14 9 13 52 49 51 Chelsea 36 13 10 13 55 49 49 Everton 36 13 10 13 46 46 49 Fulham 36 14 6 16 44 50 48 Sunderland 36 12 12 12 37 46 48 Newcastle 36 13 7 16 50 52 46 Leeds 36 10 14 12 48 53 44 Crystal Palace 35 11 11 13 38 44 44 Nottm Forest 36 11 10 15 45 47 43 Tottenham 36 9 11 16 46 55 38 West Ham 36 9 9 18 42 62 36 Burnley 36 4 9 23 37 73 21 Wolves 36 3 9 24 25 66 18 CHAMPIONSHIP (semifinals, playoffs) : Millwall 0 Hull City 2 – Hull win 2-0 on agg. LA LIGA: Rayo Vallecano 1 (Alemao 86) Girona 1 (Stuani 90). P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 35 30 1 4 91 31 91 Real Madrid 35 24 5 6 70 33 77 Villarreal 35 21 6 8 65 40 69 Atl Madrid 35 19 6 10 58 38 63 Real Betis 35 13 15 7 54 43 54 Celta Vigo 35 13 11 11 49 44 50 Getafe 35 13 6 16 28 36 45 Sociedad 35 11 11 13 54 55 44 Bilbao 35 13 5 17 40 51 44 Vallecano 35 10 13 12 36 42 43 Osasuna 35 11 9 15 42 45 42 Valencia 35 11 9 15 38 50 42 Sevilla 35 11 7 17 43 56 40 Espanyol 35 10 9 16 38 53 39 Mallorca 35 10 9 17 43 51 39 Elche 35 9 12 14 46 54 39 Girona 35 9 12 14 37 52 39 Alaves 35 9 10 16 41 54 37 Levante 35 9 9 17 41 57 36 Real Oviedo 35 6 11 18 26 54 29 SERIE A: Napoli 2 (Di Lorenzo 45+1, Santos 48) Bologna 3 (Bernardeschi 9, Orsolini 34-pen, Rowe 90+1) . P W D L F A Pts Inter Milan 36 27 4 5 85 31 85 Napoli 36 21 7 8 54 36 70 Juventus 36 19 11 6 59 30 68 AC Milan 36 19 10 7 50 32 67 Roma 36 21 4 11 55 31 67 Como 36 18 11 7 60 28 65 Atalanta 36 15 13 8 50 34 58 Bologna 36 15 7 14 45 43 52 Lazio 36 13 12 11 39 37 51 Udinese 36 14 8 14 45 46 50 Sassuolo 36 14 7 15 44 46 49 Torino 36 12 8 16 41 59 44 Parma 36 10 12 14 27 45 42 Genoa 36 10 11 15 40 48 41 Fiorentina 36 8 14 14 38 49 38 Cagliari 36 9 10 17 36 51 37 Lecce 36 8 8 20 24 48 32 Cremonese 36 7 10 19 30 53 31 Verona 36 3 11 22 24 58 20 Pisa 36 2 12 22 25 66 18 CHAMPIONS RELEGATED

inclusion of two Pahang Malaysia Games (Sukma) players Mohamad Alif Najmi Mazaidan (right “apit”) and Muhammad Syazrul Aieriel Suparman (left “apit”), he added. The association is also trying to secure several other players, includ ing a tekong from Thailand, to strengthen the team ahead of the new season, which is set to begin Oct 7. – Bernama

“Throughout my tenure as presi dent, I feel this time Pahang has man aged to form a truly mature team with the selection of players and big investment made, I’m convinced that this is among the strongest state teams ever gathered,” he said at a media conference introducing the players yesterday. The long-term development of young players is also reflected in the

The seven new players include 2025 SEA Games sepak takraw chin lone bronze medalist Muhammad Hairul Hazizi Haidir, and Thai player Pongsatorn Phong-Udtha as tekong, along with Selangorian Mohd Khairol Zaman Hamir Akhbar and Muhammad Ariff Daniel Mohammad Aripin in right “apit” position, as well as Norfaizzul Abd Razak in left “apit” position.

Association is planning to ensure that Pahang Mammoth will gain promo tion to the Sepak Takraw Premier League when it introduces seven new players for its 2026 Sepak Takraw Division 1 League season. Its president, Datuk Abu Jimi Samat said the squad aims to restore the team to its highest standings, last achieved in 2020.

Ze Zeng celebrates with Jalur Jemilang after capturing gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games.

Ice, grit, glory

Ű BY ZIKRY MARZUKI zikry@thesundaily.com The inspiring story of Ze Zeng’s golden breakthrough at 2025 SEA Games in Thailand

chances of hockey being included in the RTG pro gramme. “To be honest, I think this is not our call; it is up to the ministry and the government. We under stand RTG is about the effort to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal. “At the moment, it is quite difficult for hockey to win Olympic gold, so even with this kind of sup port, it is already good enough. We take it step by step and do not push to be in RTG,” he said. – Bernama practice on the ice rink. The Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed restricts me from access ing the facilities, thus impacting my routine. I also faced a major setback when I over trained in the United States (US) and injured my left groin. I went through that period without having the time to go to hospital because of intensive training session and tight schedule. I can describe the pain as “needles poking”. Facing those challenges must have been tough – what motivated you to keep pushing forward and remain committed as a profes sional ice skater? Competing in major tournaments has always been my goal, so it kept me highly moti vated. Next, the sense of accomplishment after executing difficult elements, such as triple axel jump and quadruple toe loop has also kept me going. I worked very hard on these movements to score high points in competition. I know there are risks behind it, but the results will be worth it. What role has your family played in support ing you throughout your career? I can also put my family as main source of motivation because my parents are very, very supportive towards me. They will always ask whether I am okay and never forced me to stay in this sport. They will always be with me and giving me unconditional support, their pres ence makes me feel more incredible. For example, if my training session start at 6 am, they will be there. They even wake up ear lier to prepare me. Knowing how much they sacrifice makes me want to keep going. Even though they would understand if I chose to quit, I feel that I cannot give up, not after everything they’ve done for me.

align programme implementation with the avail able budget. Currently, only four sports are under the RTG programme, namely badminton, track cycling, weightlifting and squash. Badminton has the largest pool of athletes with 13 players, followed by track cycling with two ath letes, while weightlifting and squash each have one representative. Meanwhile, MHC president Subahan Kamal said the governing body is realistic about the more challenging because athletes need to be flexible, precise, and graceful in their move ments. For example, when we jump, we must execute it with elegance. We also need to maintain good posture and avoid stiffness. This becomes more important depending on the music choice during per formance, especially classical tune where a skater needs to have softer movements and expression. In contrast, more upbeat or funky music allows for playful and energetic perform ances. After nearly a decade as a professional, you’ve competed internationally against highly experienced opponents – which competition stands out the most to you? I think the biggest one is the participation in Four Continents Figure Skating Championship, held from Jan 21 to 25 in Beijing, China which is also one of my biggest achievements. The event featured skaters from countries including Japan, United States and Mexico, with no age restriction. The experience gave me chance to learn a lot of things from other com petitors, including their preparation and warm up routine. The 2025 SEA Games participation is also memorable because it is a major competition in Southeast Asia level. Additionally, the 2025 Winter University Games in Turin, Italy stands out, as it brought together student-athletes from all over the world. It gave me valuable exposure and experi ence. Having spoken about your proudest moments, what would you say has been the most challenging period of your career? There are certainly some periods, especially during the 2020 lockdown because I cannot

T RAINING through the pain and adapt ing to disrupted routines are among the many challenges faced by national fig ure skater Fang Ze Zeng throughout his sporting career. However, these difficulties have not stopped the 22-year-old from striving for excellence. His sacrifice have ultimately paid off, earning him numerous accolades and memorable achieve ments. One of the defining moments of his career came during the 2025 SEA Games, where his exquisite performance in the men’s figure skat ing event secured him a gold medal with an impressive score of 157.22 points. To uncover the remarkable journey of this promising athlete, theSun brings you the untold story of Ze Zeng’s sacrifices, upbringing, and success. You seem very passionate about figure skat ing – could you share in detail how you first fell in love with the sport? I started skating when I was about eight years old. It was probably during a holiday period where my mother brought me and my sister to an ice skating rink at Sunway Pyramid. At that time, I found ice skating very interest ing (sport) because it was “cold sport”, which is something different compared to basketball or football. It felt very refreshing and unique. After discovering your passion for the sport at a young age, what motivated you to take the step into becoming a professional? Figure skating differs from many other sports, as it emphasises not only stamina but also artistry, precision, and technical skill. It is

RTG expands hunt for Olympic gold

THE Road to Gold (RTG) programme will explore new sports that have the potential to deliver Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal, said Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari. He said the approach will be discussed at the RTG meeting on May 19, following the need to view the country’s sporting landscape more broadly rather than focusing only on selected sports. “We need to look at the sporting landscape more broadly; we should not be confined to the

same sports. “We want to open a wider chapter for Malaysian sports because the original purpose and objective of RTG is to secure the first gold medal,” he told reporters yesterday. He said the outcomes of the RTG meeting, including the programme’s action plan, will be announced to the media after the meeting con cludes. Dr Mohammed Taufiq said among the matters to be discussed are budget allocation and ways to