21/08/2026

SPORTS

SPORTS FRIDAY | AUG 21, 2026

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S ETBACKS, limited preparation and years of technical refinement all played a part as a new crop of athletes produced golden moments at the Selangor 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma) yesterday. Hosts Selangor successfully defended the women’s badminton team title, while Sarawak’s Elvis Priestly Clement and Jared Aiden Harold overcame a lack of preparation to win the men’s 10m synchronised platform gold. Penang’s Tang Koh Ming and Perak’s Puteri Qaira Hairol Supfian also triumphed in wushu and archery respectively. At the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre in Shah Alam, Elvis and Jared showed remarkable com posure despite having only a week to train together before the Games. The Sarawak pair scored 330.51 points to take gold in the men’s 10m synchronised plat form, comfortably ahead of Selangor’s Muhamad Haziq Muizzudin Mohd Asri Muhamad Arfa Zikry Muhamad on 305.28, while Sabah’s Mohamad Ayron Shadwaz Shaem-Muhamad Anilrian Normatrud Abdullah claimed bronze with 288.78. For Elvis, the victory helped ease the disap pointment of failing to defend his 3m spring board title the previous day, although he admit

Young stars turn setbacks into gold Selangor retain badminton crown while Sarawak divers, Penang wushu exponent and Perak archer also strike big

Speedy Tigers push Belgium before bowing out MALAYSIA gave world No. 1 Belgium a stern test before going down 3-5 in their final Pool B match of the 2026 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, yester day. The Speedy Tigers twice fought back from two-goal deficits through penalty-corner goals from Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi in the 31st minute and Marhan Jalil six minutes later, before Akhimullah Anuar Esook added a field goal in the 52nd minute. Belgium’s prolific forward Tom Boon proved the difference with four goals in the 16th, 19th, 35th and 52nd minutes, while Thibeau Stockbroekx was also on target in the 43rd min ute. Despite the defeat, national head coach Brendon Carolan was encouraged by Malaysia’s performance, saying the fine margins ultimately separated the two sides. “It was a good performance today. I think obviously we’d like to get the result. We always want to get a result. The guys worked hard on a new defensive system, so it’s just fine-tuning. It’s the small details that make a difference at this level,” he said after the match. Malaysia trailed 2-0 after Boon struck twice in the second quarter, but Nik Aiman reduced the deficit just a minute into the second half by con verting a penalty corner on his 200th interna tional appearance. Boon restored Belgium’s two-goal advantage before Marhan converted another penalty corner to make it 3-2. Stockbroekx then stretched Belgium’s lead to 4-2 before Boon completed his four-goal haul from another penalty corner. Akhimullah responded in the same minute to make it 5-3, but Malaysia could not find another breakthrough. Carolan said the focus would now shift to the next phase, with Malaysia needing to quickly pre pare once their crossover opponents are con firmed. “Obviously we need to identify who we have in our crossovers and we need to prepare prop erly for those games because obviously we want to improve on world rankings. “I think we’re playing reasonably well, I think we’ll make sure we’re fully prepared for who’s in our pool to make sure we’re ready to go in two days,” said the South African coach. Malaysia finished their Pool B campaign with one point from three matches after losing 5-1 to defending champions Germany before drawing 3-3 with France. – Bernama TAN CHENG HOE said he remained proud of Malaysia’s players despite their 0-2 defeat to Vietnam that ended the Harimau Malaya’s hopes of reaching the 2026 Asean Cup final. The interim head coach praised his players’ com mitment and fighting spirit after Vietnam completed a 4-0 aggregate victory in the second leg of the semi final at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Wednesday night. “I am still proud of the players even though we lost in both matches. The commitment they showed makes me proud,”Cheng Hoe said in an audio record ing shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). “At the same time, we know Vietnam fielded their best team and they are also the defending champi ons.” The 58-year-old also urged Malaysia’s younger players to use the experience of facing the defending champions as a stepping stone for their develop ment. “I hope that after this tournament, the players – especially the young ones – can gain experience and exposure to help them improve their performance in

he did not go. We only managed to sync for a week before Sukma,” he said. Selangor then gave their home crowd another reason to celebrate by beating Penang 3-0 to retain the women’s badminton team gold at the Setia City Convention Centre. Eng Ler Qi defeated Oo Shan Zi 21-14, 21-10 before doubles pair Clarissa San-Wong Zi Yi sur vived a marathon 70-minute contest to beat Joinne Lee-Nicole Tan Pei En 27-25, 14-21, 21 16. Second singles player Carine Tee Xin Qi, making her Sukma debut, completed the clean sweep with a 21-14, 21-16 victory over Chong Shi Ming. “I feel excited to win gold for Selangor. My teammates all played really well and congratu lations to them too,” said the 18-year-old national junior player. The women’s team event had not been con tested since the 2018 edition in Perak and made its return at this year’s Games. In wushu, Penang’s Tang Koh Ming turned her bronze from Sarawak 2024 into gold in the women’s Changquan, crediting her time at Beijing Sport University for helping take her technique to another level. Koh Ming scored 9.520 points to finish ahead of teammate Coleen Ceah Weiqi, who took sil ver with 9.496, while Sarawak’s Fong Chai Xin won bronze with 9.456. “In Beijing, my coach taught me more about recognising the technical aspects, such as how to perfect my moves, be swifter and improve my skills,” she said. Perak’s Puteri Qaira provided perhaps the most dramatic comeback of the day in archery, beating Sabah’s Catherine Looi Mei Qi Abdullah 143-142 in the women’s individual compound 50m final. The 15-year-old had lost to Catherine by one point in qualifying, but reversed the result when it mattered most. “Not really (for revenge). I just tried to do my best,” Puteri Qaira said. “But when I was announced as the winner, I felt relieved because my opponent was also very good.” – Bernama must maintain our concentration and stay fully focused,” he said. He also acknowledged that the five JDT players currently on loan at Kuching City could pose a threat if selected. Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak, however, said his side were not intimi dated by JDT’s remarkable record and would focus solely on their own performance. “About their record, we don’t think about that because we want to focus on our side, and tomorrow we will try to play to win by putting in a lot of hard work, team spirit, and giving 100 per cent on the pitch,” he said. Aidil Sharin declined to reveal whether the five JDT loanees would feature, saying the club would select the best available lineup. JDT have been unbeaten in the league since 2021 and equalled the world record of 108 consecutive unbeaten league matches held by Ivorian club Asec Mimosas after their 14-1 demolition of Kelantan TRW in May. A win or draw tomorrow would see JDT move beyond that mark and claim the record outright. – Bernama

ted the pair were still some way from their best. “Of course I am happy that we managed to win gold, but we are actually not satisfied with today’s performance. Nevertheless, we are grateful for what we managed to achieve,” he said. Jared’s preparations had been disrupted by an overseas training camp, meaning the national development squad diver only returned to partner Elvis shortly before Sukma. “Preparations with Elvis were indeed limited because I went to a training camp overseas, so

MEDAL TALLY G S B STATE 2026 SUKMA GAMES Ttl 1. Selangor 37 42 30 109 2. Terengganu 31 29 24 84 3. F. Territories 29 25 21 75 4. Johor 22 29 22 73 5. Sarawak 21 19 32 72 6. Pahang 21 13 22 56 7. Penang 18 26 26 70 8. Perlis 14 5 9 28 9. Sabah 13 12 16 41 10. Perak 11 15 29 55 11. Melaka 11 10 8 29 12. Kedah 9 12 30 51 13. Kelantan 7 5 11 23 14. N. Sembilan 4 5 19 28 15. Brunei 0 1 6 7

Selangor women’s doubles pair Clarissa San Yee Wen (front) and Wong Zi Yi in action against Penang during the women’s team badminton final at the 2026 Sukma at the Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

JDT eye history as Charity Shield showdown looms

Cheng Hoe proud despite Harimau Malaya Asean Cup exit

JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM (JDT) are on the brink of football history as they prepare to defend their Charity Shield title against Kuching City FC today (9pm), with a victory or draw set to give the Southern Tigers the world record for the longest unbeaten league run. JDT head coach Xisco Munoz said win ning another trophy remained the priority, but the opportunity to enter the history books would provide extra motivation for the club and its supporters. “Tomorrow is an important day for us. First, we want to win the trophy, and second, we want to enter the history books of world football. “It is incredible to arrive at this level, and our players will give 100 percent to take another step forward,” he said at a pre-match press conference at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, yesterday. Munoz expects a tough challenge from Kuching City, particularly their physical approach and ability to launch quick counter-attacks. “They are defensively well-structured and highly dangerous on the counter-attack. We

the future,” he said. Malaysia travelled to Hanoi needing to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit but were unable to find a break through despite starting with greater attacking intent. Vietnam controlled the tempo in the opening half and frustrated Malaysia’s attempts to create clear opportunities, while the Harimau Malaya defence kept the hosts at bay until the interval. The breakthrough finally came in the 62nd min ute when Nguyen Xuan Son put Vietnam ahead, leav ing Malaysia needing three goals to keep their final hopes alive. Cheng Hoe’s side continued to search for a response but struggled to penetrate a well-organised Vietnamese defence, with a lack of cutting edge in attack making their task increasingly difficult. Xuan Son then sealed the result in the 89th min ute with his second goal of the night, sending Vietnam through to the final as they continued their bid to retain the title. Cheng Hoe said his players had nevertheless han dled the pressure well against a Vietnam side fielding its strongest lineup on home soil. – Bernama