04/08/2026

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Local coaches have what it takes, says Jefri

THE success of Malaysian athletes at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games is proof that local coaches possess the expertise and capability to lead national squads if given the right opportunities and support. National Sports Council (NSC) director general Jefri Ngadirin said this was evident from the achievements of several local coaches who guided Malaysian athletes to impressive results at the Games. He said the success was highlighted by the weightlifting squad under Edmund Yeo, lawn bowls under Fairul Izwan Abdul Muin, track cycling led by Harnizam Basri and judo coached

“Our coaches have the potential and expertise if they are given opportunities and support from all parties, including the NSC and sports associations. They need to be given the trust to lead the main coaching teams in their respective squads,” he said. Malaysia ended its Glasgow 2026 campaign with eight gold, three silver and five bronze medals, surpassing its initial target (5-2-4) The eight-gold haul is the country’s best achievement since winning 12 gold medals at the 2010 New Delhi edition, while also surpassing its Birmingham 2022 tally by one gold. – Bernama

five golds, one silver and one bronze. Amir Daniel made history when he delivered Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo after triumphing in the below 81kg category. The track cycling squad also clinched gold through Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang in men’s keirin, while lawn bowls contributed two silver and two bronze medals, including a bronze from the para lawn bowls squad. Jefri said these achievements proved that local coaches have the potential and expertise to take on key leadership roles within their respective teams.

by Md Nashriq Md Nassir. “I am very impressed with the achievements of our local coaches. In weightlifting, we have coach Edmund, while in lawn bowls, former athletes have gone on to become coaches and they are very dedicated. “In track cycling, Harnizam has showcased his leadership, while in judo, coach Md Nashriq has done exceptionally well in guiding Amir Daniel (Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed) to win the gold medal,” he told a press conference on the national contingent’s performance yesterday. Weightlifting emerged as the pillar of the contingent’s success at the Games, contributing

SIDENETTING Two-pronged mission of Izzatul

Future is bright Malaysia’s junior squash players exceeded expectations in Canada, earning praise from Nafiizwan after a memorable campaign

individual and doubles gold medal lists at both the Sukma and Para Sukma. Team events comprising three to seven members will receive RM9,000 each for winning gold, while those in teams of more than seven members will be awarded RM8,500 each. Use home advantage: Emir LOCAL riders must capitalise on their early knowledge of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2026 route and turn it into a competitive edge in what is expected to be one of the toughest editions of the race since its inception in 1996, LTdL26 chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said. He said local cyclists should emu late former Hong Kong national rider Wong Kam Po, who became the first Asian to win an LTdL stage after conquering the Cameron Highlands climb in the 2000 edition. Emir noted that although Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff won the King of the Mountains jersey twice, in 2020 with Sapura Cycling Team and in 2022 with Terengganu Cycling Team, he secured most of his points on the less demanding climbs rather than the major ascents at Cameron Highlands or Genting Highlands. He also recalled that Italian sprint specialist Alessandro Petacchi cap tured the King of the Mountains jer sey at the 1999 edition while riding for Scrigno-Gaerne using a similar strategy. “However, with a maximum of 25 points on offer at the Hors Category climbs of Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands this year, it will be far more difficult to win the King of the Mountains title using that approach. “This is where local riders have the advantage of familiarising them selves with the LTdL26 route early and planning the best race strategy,” he said.

YOUNG national women’s sprinter Izzatul Musfirah Ahmad Kamal Azira is eyeing the opportunity to grab gold and break the women’s 100m record at the Selangor 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma), starting Aug 15-24. The 18-year-old Terengganu ath lete said her preparations are now going well with the U-20 World Athletics Championships (B-20) in Oregon, United States scheduled from Aug 5-9, which will be used as a platform to gain valuable experi ence competing at a high level before competing at Sukma 2026. “God willing, I want gold and am confident with the training I have that I can break the record (Sukma 2026),“ she said when met recently. The Sukma women’s 100m record is currently held by Nur Afrina Batrisyia Mohd Rizal who represents Selangor with a time of 11:64 sec onds (s) set in the 2024 edition in Sarawak. Regarding her participation in Oregon, Izzatul Musfirah is deter mined to give her best performance in addition to wanting to improve her personal best this season, which is 11.71s at the 2026 Malaysia Open, in June. Johor eyes top-three finish JOHOR has set an ambitious target of 45 gold medals for the upcoming Sukma in Selangor while aiming to maintain its place among the top three states in the overall standings. State Youth and Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said Johor would field a contingent of more than 1,000 athletes and officials for the Games. To further motivate the contin gent, the Johor government will retain its RM10,000 incentive for

WHITNEY WILSON

HARLEEIN TAN

DOYCE LEE

V. HANEESHA

Ű BY ZIKRY MARZUKI

need to address key areas for improvement ahead of future compe titions. “We are deeply grateful for the support from the National Sports Council (MSN), National Sports Institute (ISN), Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM), the players’ parents and all Malaysians. Without their support, it would have been much more challenging for the girls to finish as runners-up and for the boys to secure fifth place. “There are several matters we plan to raise with the management, including the suggestion of arriving at competition venues earlier so the players can adapt to the courts and prepare themselves mentally. “We also hope to have a perform ance analyst with the team to analyse every match and provide feedback to help the players improve their prepa rations for future tournaments,” he said.

will continue in future competitions,” he told theSun . The girls’ team of Doyce Lee, Whitney Isabelle Wilson, V. Haneesha and Harleein Tan produced a spirited run to the final before going down 2-0 to top seeds Egypt on Saturday, secur ing Malaysia’s sixth runners-up finish in the tournament. Egypt proved too strong for Malaysia in the final at Niagara-on the-Lake, successfully defending their title to claim a record-extending 13th team crown and an unprecedented 11th consecutive championship. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s boys’ team of M. Nickhileswar, Altamis Sufian, Aqil Mirza Naim Khairil Fariz and Ivan Chang bowed out in the quarter finals on Friday after suffering a 2-0 defeat to France. Nafiizwan, a former Malaysian international, also thanked the organisations and individuals who backed the team while stressing the

N ational squash coach Nafiizwan Adnan hailed Malaysia’s fearless young guns after they produced a stirring campaign at the World Junior Squash Championships in Ontario, Canada. The national squad produced a superb campaign, with the boys storming into the quarterfinals while the girls ended Malaysia’s three-year medal drought by finishing runners up in the team event. “Well done to all the players for their success and determination throughout this competition. They should be proud of this achievement because it came at the international level. “The last time Malaysia won a team medal was in 2023. As coaches, we are very proud of this accomplish ment and hope this determination

PABM worries short preparation affects 2026 Asian Games mission

DESPITE winning five gold medals at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the national weightlifting squad is now facing a critical time race ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games next month. Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (PABM) vice president Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim revealed his concerns about the short preparation as the national athletes have yet to return to touch the “iron” after the competition in Glasgow. According to him, the constraints of the regulations at the competition venue that do not allow training after the end of the event have disrupted the momentum of the athletes’

national squad’s main focus will shift to Olympic Games qualification since new weight categories will be introduced starting this August. The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from Sept 19 to Oct 4. For the record, five gold medals for the weightlifting squad were contributed in Glasgow 2026 by Mohamad Aniq Kasdan in the men’s 60 kilogramme (kg) category, Muhamad Aznil Bidin (men’s 65kg), Muhammad Erry Hidayat (men’s 79kg), Muhammad Hafizuddin Roslin (men’s 88kg) and Mohamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali (men’s 94kg). – Bernama

athletes have been listed for Aichi-Nagoya involving two Category A athletes, namely Glasgow gold medal winners, Mohamad Aniq Kasdan and Muhamad Aznil Bidin, while Muhammad Erry Hidayat and Muhamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali are placed in Category B. “I need to discuss again with the athletes and PABM. I don’t want to force the athletes if they are not fully prepared because I am worried that they will not be able to give their best performance. “In Glasgow, our tactics are more about chasing the gold medal and not personal records or national records,” he said. He also did not rule out the possibility that the

training, thus putting them in a risky situation if they are forced to compete in Japan without proper preparation. “For weightlifting, 47 days is actually not enough. When we stop training for more than three or four days, we actually have to start from scratch. “Athletes cannot come to training today and continue lifting heavy weights tomorrow because it will invite injuries. “It takes a long time to regain that level of fitness,” he told reporters recently. Amirul, who is also the manager of the Glasgow 2026 team, informed that currently four