31/05/2026

theSun on Sunday MAY 31, 2026

SPORTS 15

Outplayed in Singapore Aaron-Wooi Yik no match for Chinese pair’s power, speed: Herry

Azeem equals national sprint record

NATIONAL men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi admitted that top pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik failed to match the speed and power of China’s Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, who knocked them out in the Singapore Open quarterfinals on Friday night. Aaron-Wooi Yik, the second seeds and defending champions, lost 15-21, 15-21 to the tournament’s fifth seeds in the Super 750 event. Herry said the world No. 2 pair also made numerous mistakes throughout the match, while their style of play was read by their opponents. “In my view, Aaron-Wooi Yik’s per formance dropped, especially in Singapore. They were outmatched in terms of power and speed. This situa tion caused them to constantly be under pressure,” he said when con tacted by Bernama. “The Chinese pair performed very well, while Aaron-Wooi Yik made too many mistakes. They were also second best in terms of pace, so it was difficult

for them to impose their game. The Chinese were simply superior in the key areas, and that made the differ ence.” The result extended the poor record of the 2022 world champions against the world No. 5 pair, having now lost 11 of their 14 meetings. The subdued display also raises questions whether Aaron-Wooi Yik can justify their second seeding at next week’s Indonesia Open in Jakarta, which will be held from June 2-7. While maintaining that the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Sept 19-Oct 4 is Aaron-Wooi Yik’s priority, Herry is hopeful of a positive response from them in Jakarta. “I still hope Aaron-Wooi Yik can perform better at the Indonesia Open. I can’t predict what will happen, but anything is possible,” added Herry. Aaron-Wooi Yik have reached the finals in Super 1000 events at the China Open last year, Malaysia Open in January and All England in March. They hope to replicate a similar run

at the Indonesia Open where they play com patriots Wan Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King in the first round. Herry also said it was a pity that young pair Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai failed to main tain the advantage they held in the opening game and lost 19-21, 21-17, 21-13 to India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty in another quarterfinal clash yesterday. “They won the first game, and in the sec ond they looked dominant for a while. But they lacked consistency and made too many mistakes, allowing the opponents to capitalise and pile on the pressure. “In the third game, Khai Xing-Aaron had clearly lost a lot of power and speed, while the Indian pair were very good and confident,” he said. Khai Xing-Aaron will have a chance to avenge the defeat to Satwiksairaj-Rankireddy when they meet in the first round of the Indonesia Open. – Bernama/Agencies

NATIONAL SPRINTER Muhammad Azeem Fahmi continued his sensational form by equalling his own national record with a time of 10.09 seconds in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Track & Field East Regional Championships in the United States early yesterday morning. Malaysia Athletics, in a Facebook statement yesterday, said the achievement also saw the 22-year-old make history as the first Malaysian to qualify for the NCAA Grand Final in the 100m, scheduled to take place in Oregon next month. Azeem, representing Auburn University, had earlier shown positive signs by clocking 10.13s in the opening round to secure his place in the quarterfinals. He had set the national record at the 2022 World Athletics U-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. His consistent performances throughout the season in the United States further cement his status as one of Malaysia’s leading men’s sprint prospects, alongside Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee, ahead of several major competitions, including the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September. Peaking at 10.09s in May proves that his baseline speed is exactly where it needs to be to contend for gold if he shaves off a few more hundredths of a second by September. The Asian sprinting landscape has acceler ated dramatically over the last few seasons. To climb the podium in Aichi-Nagoya, Azeem will have to out-duel three massive powerhouses - regional favorite Puripol Boonson from Thailand, reigning Asian Athletics Champion Hiroki Yanagita (Jpn) and China’s sprint stable of Xie Zhenye and He Jinxian. – Bernama THE Empire NextGen Pickleball Series 2026 aims to nurture young pickleball talent in Malaysia while building greater grassroots par ticipation in the fast-growing sport. Co-founder Wong Kang Woon said grass roots development is the main focus of the tournament series, as pickleball is currently more popular among adults. Wong, who is also the founder of Kidslimpik, said the tournament provides children with an opportunity to try and compete in a sport that has received limited exposure among them. “We can see that pickleball is trending and many new sports are entering the market. However, the objective of NextGen is to build a proper development pathway. “Pickleball participation generally starts from the age of 25 and above, but no one is really focusing on children. This is our first attempt to gauge the response,” he told reporters after the tournament at Pickleball Empire in Shah Alam, Selangor, yesterday. Wong said another edition of the tourna ment will be held in August as a qualifying plat form for the Kidslimpik Malaysia International Games, scheduled for October, creating a more structured pathway for young players. “Those who win in August will automatically qualify for the Kidslimpik Malaysia International Games,” he said. He said the organisers are targeting partici pation from between five and 10 countries for the international tournament as part of efforts to broaden Malaysian children’s exposure at the global level. “We already have five countries on board and are targeting between eight and 10 coun tries, as we are still assessing international feed back,” he said. – Bernama Pickleball series to nurture young Malaysian talent

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30/05/2026

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Istaf secretary general Datuk Abdul Halim

Kader says the federation will independently review the controversial incident during the Sepak Takraw World Cup final. – BERNAMAPIC

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Istaf to take charge of takraw walkout review THE incident that occurred during the recent Sepak Takraw World Cup team regu final between Malaysia and Thailand will be addressed through established processes, according to the International Sepaktakraw Federation (Istaf). by the federation. He also expressed confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of the Istaf review process.

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“TAT is confident that all relevant facts, reports, evidence and representations will be considered in accordance with the principles of natural justice before any determination is made,” he said. Both organisations also called on stakeholders, officials, athletes, support ers and members of the media to refrain from speculation, assumptions or prema ture conclusions while the review proc ess remains ongoing. The controversy erupted in the decid ing third match when the umpire over turned a winning Thai point, ruling a player crossed under the net. Thailand protested and refused to continue. The tie was leveled at 1-1, forcing a decisive third match. Malaysia took the first set, and Thailand led 14-13 in the sec ond. The Singaporean umpire ruled that a Thai player had crossed the court bound ary/net, overturning what would have been match point. Outraged by the decision, the Thai team protested and refused to resume play, triggering a 30-minute delay. Because Thailand abandoned the court and refused to complete the game, the referee awarded the win and the World Cup title to Malaysia. – Bernama

In a statement jointly issued with the Takraw Association of Thailand (TAT) yes terday, Istaf said the incident, which led to Malaysia being awarded the match 2-1, should be reviewed under the Istaf Constitution, the Laws of the Game, Competition Regulations and Disciplinary Procedures. Istaf and TAT also acknowledged the extensive discussions, comments, opin ions and media reports relating to the incident at the Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Istaf secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Kader reiterated the federation’s commitment to ensuring that all matters are reviewed independently. He said the federation remains com mitted to protecting the integrity of the sport, safeguarding the interests of all member associations and ensuring that every party is afforded a fair opportunity to be heard. TAT president Thana Chaiprasit reaf firmed the association’s respect for Istaf’s role as the international governing body of sepak takraw and recognised its authority to review and determine mat ters arising from competitions sanctioned

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