22/08/2026

SPORTS

SPORTS SATURDAY | AUG 22, 2026

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S ARAWAK’S last-minute pairing of Awang Sharzan Nasrin Awang Nasaruddin-Elvis Priestley Clement produced a stunning final-dive comeback to clinch the men’s 3m synchronised springboard gold at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) Selangor 2026 yesterday. Awang Sharzan-Elvis, who had trailed in second place after five rounds, saved their best for last as they eclipsed and stunned Federal Territories’ SEA Games gold medalists Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohamad Nazim Yong Rui Jie to take the top spot at the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre. The Sarawak duo amassed 333.90 points, edging Nurqayyum-Rui Jie, who collected 331.11 points, while Selangor’s Ikmal Abror Ibrahim Muhammad Haris Mohd Rezal settled for bronze with 307.89 points. Remarkably, the pair had been thrown together at the last minute after

A perfect final twist Last-minute pair Awang Sharzan-Elvis upset SEA Games champions

pleted a memorable day alongside Aira Nadirah Aizuddin and Nur Zara Aisyah Khairul Fadly as Sarawak claimed another gold in the women’s team event, beating Terengganu 217-213. The Sarawak trio produced a dra matic comeback in the final end after trailing throughout the opening three ends to overcome Airazalia Azrai, Nur Shafiena Mohd Shuhamri and Putri Aqiera Issandra Ismayuddin. “I dedicate these victories to my coaches who have helped and guided me, and taken me to various competi tions where I gained valuable experi ence. “I have been in archery for six years. It all started when my talent was spot ted at school. From there, I developed a passion for the sport, and my family has always supported me,” she told Bernama after the finals at the National Institute of Valuation (INSPEN) Stadium yesterday. – Bernama TERENGGANU FC (TFC) head coach Mohd Nafuzi Zain has stressed the importance of kicking off their 2026/27 Super League season on a winning note when they face Melaka FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium (SSMZA) tonight (9pm). The former national Under-23 coach said a good start was crucial to boost the players’ confidence and build momentum for the long and challenging season ahead. Nafuzi said that an opening-day win would also be a perfect gift for their die-hard fans, who have always provided the Turtles with moral support on various social media platforms. “We definitely want a positive outcome in our first match against Melaka, more so since we will be playing on home ground and with many new faces. “Our fans are also excited for the season to start. “A win over Melaka would also boost our morale ahead of next week’s clash against Selangor FC,” he said during Friday night’s train ing session at the stadium. Nafuzi said the team’s prepara tions had gone well and he also has an idea who will be fielded in the starting eleven against Melaka. The Kelantan-born coach is also pleased with his men’s commit ment during training and level of understanding between the expe rienced players and the new addi tions. “ Alhamdulillah , we have lots of player options for this season. The quality of the players, including the foreign imports and those upfront, is also good and encouraging. “What is important is for the players to remain disciplined and follow the game plan. I hope the players can give their best and col lect all three points tomorrow,” he said. Meanwhile, Terengganu Footbal Club Sdn Bhd (TFCSB) act ing chief executive officer Mohd Syahrizan Mohd Zain expects 15,000 spectators to attend tonight’s opening Super League match. “As of yesterday afternoon, over 3,000 tickets had been sold. We are confident of reaching the 15,000 target as Terengganu football fans usually tend to buy tickets at the last minute,” he said. – Bernama Turtles eye opening-day victory

“Actually it’s not the first time. Because I used to do synchro as a child when I was 10 years old, but since join ing the national team we’ve been sepa rated,” he said. In archery, Wee Yee Qi’s switch from recurve to compound late last year is already paying dividends after the 17 year-old archer struck two gold medals for Sarawak on her Sukma debut yes terday. Yee Qi first teamed up with Eason Lau Hui Wan to edge Kedah’s Muhammad Zaim Ahmad-Ili Nabihan Shafizan 151-150 in the mixed team final. The Miri-born archer then com

yesterday and bronze in men’s 3m springboard. Despite trailing heading into the final round, Elvis said they remained fully focused on their last dive and refused to be distracted by the stand ings. “We are just lucky because one of the Federal Territories divers (Rui Jie) is slightly injured. So we don’t have to worry,” he said. Meanwhile, Awang Sharzan said the pairing was not entirely new, having previously dived together as children before being separated after entering the national setup.

Elvis was originally scheduled to com pete with Jared Aiden Harold before the latter was ruled out through injury. The 19-year-old Elvis said he and Awang Sharzan previously had just one training session on Tuesday before they went on to claim gold. “Today’s performance was very sat isfying for me and Awang because we were just synchcro for Sukma this year. This may be our fortune and I am very grateful because the opportunity came at the right time,” he told reporters. Yesyerday’s result was Elvis second gold after winning the men’s 10m syn chronised platform event with Jared

SHORTS

enjoyed a record-breaking day after smashing the Malaysia Games record three times while helping Selangor win two swimming gold medals at the 2026 edition yesterday. Shannon first broke the Sukma record in the women’s 200m butterfly during the morning heats, clocking 2 minutes 15.77 seconds (s) at the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre to erase the previous mark of 2:17.79s set by Sarawak’s Hii Siew Siew at the 2012 edition in Pahang. She went even faster in the final, clocking 2:15.13s to win gold and lower her own meet record for the second time in a single day, while coming within 0.83s of Khoo Cai Lin’s national record of 2:14.30s set in 2009. The teenager was not done yet, returning to help the hosts clinch gold in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and break another Sukma record. The Selangor quartet, comprising Khew Zi Xian, Chong Yi Yuan, Eliza Ai Shen Tan and Shannon, clocked 3:54.54s to eclipse the previous meet record of 3:55.84s set by the state at the last edition in Sarawak.

Bernama . Arif-Roy King eliminated

Muhammad Haris signs off with a splash

THE national men’s doubles pair, Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King, failed to reach the quarterfinals of the Badminton World Championships in India when they lost to the home pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty yesterday at the Indra Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The national pair started well when they won the first set 23-21. However, the momentum failed to continue when they lost the next two sets 19 21, 17-21, thus seeing Arif-Roy King still fail to win in five meetings so far. Shannon hits hattrick

DIVER Muhammad Haris Mohd Rezal marked his final Malaysia Games (Sukma) appearance in style yester day – returning to the top of the podium after eight years – clinching the men’s 1m springboard gold yes terday. He accumulated 353.80 points to claim gold and upset national divers Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohamad Nazim (silver/347.70pts) and Yong Rui Jie (bronze/336.15pts), both of whom represent the Federal Territories, at the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre. The victory marked Muhammad Haris’ return to the Sukma podium after his previous gold at the 2018 Perak edition, when he teamed up with his elder brother, Muhammad Syahmi, to win the men’s 10m A hip injury sustained a month before the Sukma Games did not stop Penang wushu ath lete Wee Din Jun from ending his final appear ance at the Games on a high note after winning gold in the men’s nandao nangun event yester day. He scored 9.600pts to edge Sarawak’s John Phang (silver/9.563pts) and Selangor’s Tan Yu Zhe (bronze/9.550pts) in the competition held at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) Shah Alam. ore significantly, the victory came after Din Jun endured a roller-coaster journey in his two previous Sukma appearances. At the 2022 edition in Kuala Lumpur, he won bronze synchronised platform event. Din Jun makes amends

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD swimmer Shannon Tan Yan Qing

before returning from Sukma 2024 in Sarawak without a medal after mak ing several mistakes in the three events he competed in. “I am very excited and happy to finally win a medal. At my second Games, I was very disappointed after making several mistakes and failing to win a medal. But this time, my coach told me to stay calm and enjoy the performance. I did not want to think about anything else, but instead focused only on performing to the best of my ability,” he told

Selangor athlete Shannon Tan shows off the gold medal she won in the Women’s 200m Butterfly final at the Selangor Aquatic Centre yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Pentathlon duo tackle steeplechase test

THE change in the modern pentathlon format at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will test the capabilities of two national representatives, Jacky Aw and Lim Pei Yao, when the equestrian discipline or horse riding is replaced with steeplechase. National coach Nik Lini Hayati Nik Kazem said the change required both athletes to develop new skills, but believed they would be able to adapt to realise their target of reaching the final in their debut appearance at the Games next month. “Our target is to enter the final. There is a qualifying round, then a knockout round before the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. So our target is the final,” he told Bernama recently. He said the target was realistic based on the performance of Aw and Lim who were selected for

location and competition conditions. According to him, the steeplechase is now one of the aspects that needs attention as the discipline is still new in the modern pentathlon format. “The steeplechase is something new and we need to develop their skills. “So now they need to focus on five disciplines, namely shooting, fencing, running, swimming and steeplechase,‘ he said. He said the preparations of the two athletes are now more focused on training to ensure they are able to give their best performance when competing in Aichi-Nagoya. “We are indeed focused on training so that they can give their best performance at the Asian Games,” he said. – Bernama

the Asian Games through qualification based on merit, including their appearance at the Asian Championships. He said the two athletes also showed positive development, especially in the running discipline based on their performance during training and participating in track competitions. “If we look at their development in running on the track, there has indeed been a lot of improvement because the track is more consistent. So we can see their development from there,” he said. However, Nik Lini Hayati said the duo’s performance cannot be directly compared to their achievements at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand or previous tournaments due to the differences in