READY FOR KL BATTLE: The Sukma-bound judokas with Anderson (first on left) and officials at Jalan Pending yesterday.

KUCHING: State judokas will need more facilities and coaches to sustain their performance in Sukma this year and beyond.

At the previous Sukma outing in Kuala Lumpur, judo contributed one out of the two gold medals won by Sarawak.

It was an unimpressive medal tally for the state contingent but the judo team nevertheless delivered for the state.

Speaking to The Borneo Post yesterday, state coach Anderson Venus observed that judo have always been a contributor to the state’s medal tally every time that the state participated in the sport during Sukma.

But it was still a far cry from the time when Sarawak emerge overall Sukma judo champions in Sabah 11 years ago.

“There is a lot that needs to be done and, in my personal opinion, Sarawak is in dire need of more coaches. I believe that there are a lot of unpolished gems out there in the state,” he lamented.

More coaches will facilitate the opening of more training centres as compared to only one such centre presently.

“As for me, I am looking to the rural areas for scouting. The best place for me to start is at my hometown of Kanowit where I hope to open a centre there,” he revealed.

He added that secondary schools are also good places to start from scratch especially boarding schools which are ideal places for judo training as the students spend more time in the school compound.

The state judokas currently train at their dojo at Jalan Pending on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights while on every Saturday evening, the team will train at Chung Hua Middle School No.1 which is also located at Jalan Pending.

Eleven players pulled out on Monday, citing fatigue and injury, though many may be keen to avoid exerting themselves in what is the last Super Series event before the world championships in August.

Players who withdraw late from tournaments receive a small fine from the Badminton World Federation, according to reports. Singapore experienced similar problems last year in the run-up to the London Olympics.

With Olympic champion Lin and world number one Lee opting out, and former Olympic gold-medallist Taufik Hidayat retiring from the sport at last week’s Indonesian Open, star power will be in short supply at the US$200,000 tournament.

Men’s third seed Sony Dwi Kuncoro was among the late pull-outs, as well as women’s doubles top seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, the Chinese pair who were among eight players disqualified from last year’s Olympics for not trying.

The last-minute withdrawals also include China’s mixed doubles top seeds Xu Chen and Ma Jin, and women’s singles fifth seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.

“Some players may need a break after playing other tournaments back to back,” said India’s Saina Nehwal, the women’s second seed.

“And with the world championships in Guangzhou just a month-and-a-half away, you have to prepare well.

“You should do what’s best for yourself. You don’t want to push yourself too hard and get injured. So it’s better to check your body and see how you feel.”

Singapore badminton chief Bobby Lee put a brave face on the no-shows, saying ticket sales remained strong. But he said next year’s event will be held earlier in the year in an effort to draw a stronger field.

“For the next cycle from 2014 to 2017, we are going to be tagged with India so we have a better opportunity to get the big names down for the tournament as we are not following immediately after a big event in Indonesia,” said Lee.

China’s Du Pengyu, shocked by Indonesian unknown Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka in Jakarta last week, is the men’s top seed, while Olympic champion Li Xuerui leads the women’s seedings. — AFP

The Swiss put his growing army of critics firmly in their place in 2012 when, after back-to-back quarter-final defeats, he captured his seventh Wimbledon title, equalling the record of Pete Sampras.

Federer, meanwhile, ended a 10-month title drought at the weekend when he won the Halle grasscourt tournament for the sixth time – it was his first piece of silverware since Cincinnati on the eve of the 2012 US Open.

That would have spiced up his confidence ahead of Wimbledon, but there are huge doubts over whether or not he can carry that spring in his elegant step onto the famous lawns of south-west London and be the first man to win Wimbledon eight times.

Age is a factor. Federer will be 32 in August while Sampras won the last of his Wimbledon titles as a 28-year-old in 2000.

An eighth victory for Federer next month would make him the second oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, just behind Arthur Ashe who was six days short of his 32nd birthday when he triumphed in 1975.

Then there will be the all-important seedings which will be announced on Wednesday where two-time champion Rafael Nadal, fresh from a record-breaking eighth French Open victory, is likely to be seeded five.

That could see Federer facing his old rival as early as the quarter-finals while Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the runner-up last year, are potential semi-final opponents.

It’s a far cry from 2003 when Federer won his first Wimbledon, two years after beating his great hero Sampras in the fourth round and 12 months after a reality-checking first round howler against Mario Ancic.

Back then, his quarter-final opponent was Sjeng Schalken while Andy Roddick, who he went on to beat in three finals, was overcome in the semi-finals before a straight sets win over Mark Philippousis, ranked 48, in the title match.

But Federer insists his mind is free of clutter ahead of Wimbledon, buoyed by the omens of Halle – he has completed the Halle-Wimbledon double four times already, between 2003 an 2006.

“It’s totally different (than 2003),” he said.

“Ten years ago I went into Wimbledon with so much pressure, even though I had lost in the first round the year before.

“In terms of needing to prove my point that I was a legitimate Grand Slam contender, I had incredible pressure. Now, ten years later, I know Wimbledon, I know Halle, I know my way around and what I need to do to perform well.

“I’m going in with pressure because I’m defending my title. There’s always pressure because it’s a privilege to play at Wimbledon and I want to do so well. I feel good right now and I hope I can show it on the court.”

Federer has confronted doubts on many occasions in his career and faced them down with his trademark, cool self-confidence.

It’s a rock-solid self-belief often interpreted as arrogance, a trait which has even spawned a parody Twitter account, úPseudoFed, which has over 20,000 followers.

On the site, he is lampooned as a man who employs lackeys to carry out routine jobs such as rolling his eyes for him.

The real Federer, who will be playing Wimbledon for a 15th time, was happy to roll his own eyes when more doubts were raised over his staying power in the aftermath of his French Open quarter-final defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He is used to fielding the questions and giving his answers on court.

In the Roland Garros final in 2008, Nadal allowed him just four games in his worst Grand Slam humbling. But he recovered from what could have been a shattering loss to win the 2008 US Open, 2009 French Open, 2009 Wimbledon, the Australian Open in 2010 and Wimbledon again last year. — AFP

Jupp Heynckes stood down as Bayern coach at the start of June having steered the Bavarian giants to an historic treble, becoming the first German club to win the league, cup and European titles in the same season.

Not even the great Bayern team of the 1970s matched the feat when they won three European Cup titles in consecutive seasons from 1974-76.

Munich have reached the Champions League final three times in the last four seasons and Heynckes is backing Guardiola to build on Bayern’s success, insisting the Spaniard’s appointment is the “right decision for a new generation”.

“I wish Guardiola the very best and lots of success, because his team was mine,” said the 68-year-old Heynckes, 26 years Guardiola’s senior.

“I would be happy if Bayern win the Bundesliga and the Champions League again.”

Having won 14 titles, out of a possible 19, in four seasons at Barcelona, this will be Guardiola’s first appointment after a year’s break with his family in New York, where, according to his brother, he has been learning German diligently.

Bayern have stressed Monday’s opening press conference at Munich’s Allianz Arena will be in German with Guardiola set to show off his hard-earned language skills from the start.

“Pep’s done it like he always does things, obsessively. Four hours, every day, like a madman,” his brother Pere Guardiola told magazine Spiegel, revealing how a German tutor was at the Spaniard’s side on a recent trip to Europe.

Guardiola inherits a Bayern team in the rudest of health, ahead of his first training session on June 26, after the team broke or equalled 25 Bundesliga records, dropping just 11 points in the league last season.

Having signed from arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund, Germany midfielder Mario Goetze will only serve to strengthen a squad stacked with talent, once his hamstring injury has healed.

Both new additions centre-back Dante and defensive midfielder Javi Martinez were outstanding in their first season at Bayern, while Franck Ribery dazzled on the left wing and Thomas Mueller made the right flank his own.

Only injury to Toni Kroos forced Mueller to move into central midfield, allowing Arjen Robben to come off the bench to return to the right wing and the Dutchman went on to score the winning goal in the Champions League final.

Guardiola is unlikely to make too many initial changes, according to his friend and former Barcelona team-mate Abelardo Fernandez.

“I think he will come in, make a personal assessment of the team and will analyse each player,” the 43-year-old former defender told the Bundesliga website.

“He knows, of course, that it will be incredibly hard to top this incredible season by Jupp Heynckes.

“But he also knows that he has, just as he had at Barcelona, a huge squad and great conditions to attack the targets he has been set.

“If he had any doubts, you can be sure he wouldn’t have accepted the new challenge.

“There are parallels between Barcelona and Bayern.

“They are both historic clubs with a huge history and he knows they develop players.

“Players like Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Thomas Mueller or Bastian Schweinsteiger came up through the system. That’s something he would like.”

Having removed Samuel Eto’o, Deco and Ronaldinho from the squad in his first season at Barcelona in 2008, Guardiola has shown he is not afraid to axe players not guaranteed first-team football.

The likes of striker Mario Gomez, who has already been linked to Italy, and to some extent even Robben, may soon be looking for employment elsewhere.

“He will look at the squad and then make decisions,” said Fernandez.

“Additions and disposals are part of the business.

“That will not be much difference at Bayern than at any other club.

“Still, it is a big squad and they aren’t Champions League winners for nothing.” — AFP

Rose, Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Lee Westwood have long starred on the Ryder Cup stage and Donald and Westwood have risen to top the world rankings.

But until Merion Golf Club on Sunday, none of them had been able to lift one of the sports’s four major titles – the US and British Opens, the Masters and the PGA Championship.

The pressure on one of them to finally deliver on the biggest of stages was cranking up with each passing major.

Ulstermen Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke joined the club of major winners as did young Americans Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson and South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

Still the English trophy cupboard remained empty and, prior to Merion, no Englishman had won a US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970 and none had won a major since Nick Faldo at the 1996 Masters.

All that came to a glorious end on Sunday when 32-year-old Rose held his nerve down a gripping home stretch to stave off a late challenge from crowd favourite Phil Mickelson.

It was about time, for himself, and the country Rose said.

“There’s been a very strong crop of English players for quite some time now, with myself, obviously Westwood and then Poulter as well, Paul Casey was up there for a good while and is probably going to make a comeback, I think,” he said.

“I really hope it does inspire them And I think it was always going to be a matter of time before one of us broke through.

“It was just going to be who. And I always hoped it was going to be me to be the first, obviously. But I really hoped that it sort of has broken the spell and guys can continue to sort of match up some for themselves.”

Donald was paired with Rose for the last round at Merion and would have gained first-hand knowledge of how his close friend managed to keep his game together as Mickelson charged and the rain pelted down just as Rose was entering the tough last five holes of the course.

He had his own problems to deal with after an errant drive at the third struck and laid out one of the workers who was walking the course with another group.

After the mishap, Donald took a bogey at the third to start a run of three bogeys in a row, then a double bogey at six and, after a birdie at seven, made two more bogeys to end any chance at victory after starting the day, like Rose two adrift.

Had the roles been reversed would the final outcome have been different? No-one can tell, But Donald believes that the win by Rose is a door opener.

“It’s going to mean a lot. It’s been too long really,” he said.

“I think we’ve had a lot of talent coming out of England and hopefully we’ve broken our bad period. This will be a great week for Justin and for England.”

Next up is the British Open at Muirfield, eastern Scotland in a month’s time and there is another target to aim at there for English golfers as the country’s last winner in that tournament was Faldo in 1992 at, of all places, Muirfield. — AFP

LET ME EXPLAIN: Francis (centre) speaking to reporters during a press conference at Jalan Palm yesterday while Ting (right) and Mohd Salleh (left) looks on.

KUCHING: Sarawak athletes in taekwondo and wushu who aim to represent the state must first check the status of their respective clubs from now on.

The Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) will only look into the athletes recommended by clubs affiliated with the council.

MSNS director Francis Nyurang Ding said that such a procedure is necessary mainly due to the fact that the council has received complaints from the public regarding the selection procedure of taekwondo and wushu athletes to represent the state.

“There is a need for the public to know how we select athletes to represent the state. So I want to make it clear here that we do have certain standard procedure and criteria,”

“Let us take wushu for example. There are so many wushu associations here in Sarawak but MSNS can only work with one as we have other sports associations that need our assistance as well,” he explained during a press conference yesterday.

He noted that there have been a few unaffiliated clubs who go for tournaments overseas winning medals and awards but their exponents are not eligible to represent Sarawak because they are not registered with the MSNS-affiliated club or body.

Francis recommended that these athletes who want to represent Sarawak register themselves with the MSNS-affiliated club or body. The MSNS calls these affiliates “parent bodies”.

He also advised these different bodies to merge or work together for the good of the state as MSNS is only interested in what is good for Sarawak.

In Sarawak, the parent body for wushu is the Wushu, Lion and Dragon Dance Federation of Sarawak while for taekwondo it is the Sarawak Taekwondo Association (WTF).

“There is no doubt that the state taekwondo and wushu teams will consist of exponents recommended by these two associations. They have been chosen as affiliates to the MSNS and we have to respect their recomendations,” added Francis.

Also present during the press conference was Wushu, Lion and Dragon Dance Federation secretary James Ting and Sarawak Taekwondo Association (WTF) president Mohd Salleh Sani.

Wushu and taekwondo will be included in next year’s edition of Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) in Perlis.

LET’S DO IT: Lee and Bogomil (second from right) posing with the gymnasts during their training session yesterday.

KUCHING: Assistant Sports Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin has expressed satisfaction with the state’s preparation for the Sukma XVI games so far.

According to him, all is going smoothly as planned and he is optimistic that Sarawak will have a good outing in Kuala Lumpur this year.

“I have no worries as we have prepared well for the games. I believe that Sarawak is ready when the event draws its curtain on June 28,” he added.

Lee is currently on a series of visit to meet state athletes who are preparing for the games.

He was speaking to reporters during his visit to the state artistic gymnasts at the state gymnastics training facility near the State Stadium yesterday. State coach Bogomil Ivanov Momchilov was also present at the venue.

“After meeting the state gymnasts, I am satisfied with their preparation despite having so little time to prepare for the games. Bogomil is doing a good job with the girls,” he commented.

Sarawak will send a team of six girls to Kuala Lumpur and the team is targeting one gold, one silver and one bronze.

As State Sukma chief-de-mission Lee felt that the target is achievable as state gymnasts performed well at Sukma 2012 in Pahang.

“Despite the first Sukma exposure, state gymnast Esmelda Arecia had won gold in the vault event, silver in the uneven bar event and another silver in the balance beam event. The group category on the other hand grabbed the bronze medal for their event,” said Lee.

He added that the team has been doing very well despite the shortage of time to practise due to the short notice given by the organisers.

“We were only being told that rhythmic gymnastics will be included for this year’s Sukma in February. I, however, have faith in Bogomil and team manager Gergana (Kostadionova Momchilova) getting our girls ready on time,” he said.

The Sukma artistic gymnastics event will be held from June 30 to July 3.

The Spaniards dominated throughout but after Pedro Rodriguez’s deflected opener had cause to be grateful to Roberto Soldado’s 32nd-minute clincher as Luis Suarez netted a late freekick for the Uruguayans.

Although the Uruguayans came closer to pinching a point than they deserved, Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was exultant afterwards as his side laid the foundation for reaching the last four from a group also containing Uruguay and minnows Tahiti.

“These are three magnificent points which stand us in great stead when it comes to reaching the semi-finals,” said Del Bosque.

“It was a great match played out in conditions which sapped the players’ strength,” he added, referring to the warm, humid weather.

“We dominated almost the whole match but the margin was a slim one in the event. At 2-0 we thought we had it won already and we stepped off the gas a little.”

Uruguay counterpart Oscar Tabarez said: “Spain were superior and they deserved to win – we lacked a bit of discipline. In the second half it was a little more balanced as we dug deep to play for our pride.”

Cesc Fabregas came within the width of a post from giving Spain the lead in the 10th minute with a low strike before the favourites made the breakthrough after just 20 minutes – Lady Luck smiling on them as Diego Lugano deflected home Pedro’s shot to bamboozle keeper Fernando Muslera.

As is their habit, Spain were giving the Uruguayans almost no chance to touch the ball in the opening quarter and Xavi almost made it two when he sent a freekick whizzing just off target after 26 minutes. Without the ball, Uruguay grew frustrated and resorted to some strong-arm tactics as first Edinson Cavani earned a booking for clattering into Sergio Ramos as they challenged for a header.

Ramos responded by shoving Gaston Ramirez before Uruguayan Cristian Rodriguez caught Jordi Alba with his elbow.

Suarez, in the news for intimating he would be partial to a move from Liverpool to Real Madrid, tried to rally the Celeste, who qualified for this event by winning the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, finding Cavani with a freekick, but the latter’s header was too close to Iker Casillas.

Del Bosque elected to keep faith with his veteran keeper despite Casillas missing a chunk of the second half of the season with a hand injury – once he had recovered the then Real coach Jose Mourinho left him on the bench.

After 32 minutes it was 2-0 courtesy of beautiful vision from Fabregas, who shimmied away from two defenders, then played in Soldado, who took one touch before drilling the ball into the roof of the net.

Uruguay made a change at the break with Ramirez giving way to Alvaro Gonzalez but Spain were still on fire as Xavi and Iniesta interlinked brilliantly before Xavi’s flick fed Pedro and his cross just eluded the diving Soldado.

Pedro then mishit an effort wide after a neat Fabregas through ball sent Alba into space.

With 20 minutes left Uruguay sent on veteran striker Diego Forlan for Diego Perez. That sparked a revival of sorts for the South Americans and Suarez drove home a curling freekick with two minutes remaining to give the scoreline a more respectable look and also join Forlan as his country’s joint all-time scorer on 33 goals. Spain came to the event having already become the only team in history to win three major events on the bounce – the 2010 World Cup sandwiched by Euro 2008 and 2012.

A win in this dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil would see the Spanish join Argentina and France as the only countries to win the trio of World Cup, the Olympics and the Confederations Cup. — AFP

GOOD NEWS: Ravington at a press conference to name players selected for the next phase of the National Training Squad at the National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil in this file photo. — Bernama photo

National coach to stay put until World Hockey League Semifinals in Johor Baharu

PUTRAJAYA: Paul Revington has decided to withhold his decision to resign as the National hockey team’s head coach, at least until the World Hockey League Semifinals in Johor Baharu.

The World League, qualifier for the World Cup next year, will be played in Johor Baharu from June 29 to July 7.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who made the announcement after emerging from a closed door meeting with Revington at his ministry, yesterday, said he was happy that the South African coach had decided to stay put for now.

“He has managed the National team very well and I am happy that he has decided to stay. The team is progressing well and the players have high regards and respect for Revington. We do not want the team to lose the momentum now and preparations for the World League affected,” he said.

Khairy said during the meeting which lasted for about 20 odd minutes yesterday, Revington had also agreed to reconsider his decision to quit, even after the World League Semifinals.

“He may continue to coach the National team even after the World League Semifinals, just that I will have to meet the others involved before a final decision is made,” he said. Khairy said he had told Revington that he (Khairy) would personally look into the issue and try to resolve the matter with the help of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

He also urged National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong to continue his meeting with the MHC, scheduled for today.

“I do not want to view the issue with a micro manage approach. I can understand his (Revington) views and concern. As for his future, we need to deal the matter with other individuals in the confederation,” he said.

Revington, the former Ireland head coach who was voted the World’s Best Hockey Coach in 2011 by the Federation International Hockey (FIH), had on Saturday tendered his resignation, alleging interference from National Junior coach Muhamad Dharmaraj Abdullah and 1MAS development programme director Lim Chiow Chuan, after about six months in the hot seat. — Bernama

The 32-year-old Englishman held his nerve down Merion Golf Club’s testing home stretch to win his first major title by two strokes from Phil Mickelson and Jason Day on a day of high drama. He then spoke of the doubts and heartaches he had endured to get to this stage of his life when it all came together in spectacular fashion.

Rose first entered the spotlight when he finished in a tie for fourth as an amateur teen at the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale.

He turned professional immediately afterwards, but he endured what he called “a traumatic start” to his career, missing the cut in the first 21 tournaments he took part in.

His father and coach, Ken Rose, then died when Rose was just 21 and he was left alone to try and claw his way back up the ladder.

Slowly but surely, he succeeded, winning the 2007 European Order of Merit title and notching up regular wins on the US PGA Tour.

But it was a win in one of the four majors that was the priority for him and after a few near misses, notably at last year’s PGA Championship when he tied for third, he finally came good at Merion.

“When I was missing 21 cuts in a row, I was just trying to not fade away, really,” he said.

“I just didn’t want to be known as a one hit wonder — flash in the pan. “I believed in myself inherently. Deep down I always knew that I had a talent to play the game.

“At times it feels 25 years since Birkdale and other times it feels like it was just yesterday. There’s a lot of water under the bridge.

“My learning curve has been steep from that point. Sort of announced myself on the golfing scene probably before I was ready to handle it. And golf can be a cruel game.

“Definitely I have had the ups and down, but I think that ultimately it has made me stronger and able to handle the situations like today.”

Influences there have been for Rose over the years, starting with his father, who Rose spoke emotionally about on what was Father’s Day, and Sean Foley, the coach he currently shares with Tiger Woods.

And he also had words of praise for Adam Scott, the Australian and close friend who won his first major title, also at the age of 32, at the Masters in April, nine months after blowing a winning position at the British Open.

“I consider him a contemporary of mine and a great friend of mine. He sent me a text message after I congratulated him. He said to me, ‘This is your time, this is our time, to win these tournaments.’

“At 32 we have been around quite a while. We paid our dues in some senses. “The other thing that I really learned from Adam was that I wasn’t scared of the heartache of losing one.

“The way he handled himself at Lytham (in the British Open), I think, is something that he needs as much praise on as winning the Masters.”

Rose was also proud of becoming the first Englishman since Tony Jacklin 43 years ago to win the US Open and the first since Nick Faldo at the Masters 17 years ago to win a major.— AFP

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas fails to prevent Uruguay forward Luis Suarez scoring from a free-kick on June 16, 2013. World champions Spain got their Confederations Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 win. -AFP photo

World champions Spain got their Confederations Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 win over South American champions Uruguay in the northern Brazilian city of Recife.

The Spaniards dominated throughout but after Pedro Rodriguez’s opener deflected had cause to be grateful to Pedro Soldado’s 32nd-minute clincher as Luis Suarez netted a late freekick for the Uruguayans.

Cesc Fabregas came within the width of a post from giving Spain the lead in the 10th minute with a low strike before the favourites made the breakthrough after just 20 minutes — Lady Luck smiling on them as Diego Lugano deflected home Pedro’s shot to bamboozle keeper Fernando Muslera.

As is their habit, Spain were giving the Uruguayans almost no chance to touch the ball in the opening quarter and Xavi almost made it two when he sent a freekick whizzing just off target after 26 minutes.

Without the ball, Uruguay grew frustrated and resorted to some strong-arm tactics as first Edinson Cavani earned a booking for clattering into Sergio Ramos as they challenged for a header.

Ramos responded by shoving Gaston Ramirez before Uruguayan Cristian Rodriguez caught Jordi Alba with his elbow.

Suarez, in the news for intimating he would be partial to a move from Liverpool to Real Madrid, tried to rally the Celeste, who qualified for this event by winning the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, finding Cavani with a freekick, but the latter’s header was too close to Iker Casillas.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque elected to keep faith with his veteran keeper despite Casillas missing a chunk of the second half of the season through injury — once he had recovered the then Real coach Jose Mourinho left him on the bench.

After 32 minutes it was 2-0 courtesy of beautiful vision from Fabregas, who shimmied away from two defenders, then played in Soldado, who took one touch before drilling the ball into the roof of the net.

Uruguay made a change at the break with Ramirez giving way to Alvaro Gonzalez but Spain were still on fire as Xavi and Iniesta interlinked brilliantly before Xavi’s flick fed Pedro and his cross just eluded the diving Soldado.

Pedro then mishit an effort wide after a neat Fabregas through ball sent Alba into space.

With 20 minutes left Uruguay sent on veteran striker Diego Forlan for Diego Perez.

That sparked a revival of sorts for the South Americans and Suarez drove home a curling freekick with two minutes remaining to give the scoreline a more respectable look.

Spain came to the event having already become the only team in history to win three major events on the bounce – the 2010 World Cup sandwiched by Euro 2008 and 2012.

A win in this dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil would see the Spanish join Argentina and France as the only countries to win the trio of World Cup, the Olympics and the Confederations Cup. -AFP

READY FOR BATTLE: Lau (front sixth left) handing over the flag to Dr Ting (front sixth right) as Moh (front fifth right) and others look on.

SIBU: Volleyball teams at this year’s Sukma can expect a strong challenge from Sarawak. The state is particularly confident of defending its women’s title.

Sarawak Volleyball Association (Sava) chief coach Moh Ung Ming expects the challenge to come from Johor, Pahang and Perak.

“These teams are quite strong but it is not a threat to us. We have trained for years.

“We aim for gold for the women’s team because we were the champion in the event in Sukma last year,” he said when met by reporters at Sibu volleyball stadium in Rajang Park here yesterday.

At the function, Sava president Vincent Lau handed over the Sarawak flag for the Sukma teams to Sibu Volleyball Association’s (SVA) Dr William Ting.

For the men’s team, Moh is hoping to secure at least third place while expecting tough competition from Selangor, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.

Sukma will be held from June 28 to July 7 this year in Kuala Lumpur. The state is sending 12 players each for the men’s and women’s volleyball competition.

Moh also disclosed that the state players will be in Taiwan from June 18 to 26 for exposure matches with the top four teams in a university league there.

“From Taiwan, we will go straight to Sukma,” he said.

Also present at the function was Sava vice president Dr Gregory Hii.

TIRED BUT ELATED: Nur Aisyah (centre), Yeung (left) and Ling showing their trophies after winning the women’s 21-kilometre half marathon. — Photos by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: Top foreign distance runners dominated the men’s half marathon at tHe Spring Live Active Run 2013 here yesterday.

Gideon Kipkemboi Kosgei from Kenya won the 21-kilometre race ahead of fellow Africans David Mutai and Simion Kipkorir Ruto who finished second and third respectively.

In the female category, Nur Aisyah Ahmat clinched the first position while the second and third position went to Melissa Yeung and Ling Mee Eng respectively.

The first three winners in each of these two flagship events received RM3,000 cash, RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.

Interviewed after the race, Gideon was happy to win although this was the first time he joined. He said the competition was very tough due to the very hot and humid weather.

In the men’s 10-kilometre run, Abdul Aziz Mahamoud from Kuala Lumpur won while Kanang Usin and Joshua Pang finished second and third.

Ho Siew Hua from Miri claimed the women’s race beating Choo Ngiik Hung second and Lai Siau Ling third.

The top three finishers took home RM1,000 cash, RM750 and RM500 respectively.

Abdul Aziz, who is an Employees Provident Fund employee, had started serious preparation for this competition one month ago.

“I trained hard everyday with the facilities provided by EPF. I set out be the champion and achieving my target makes me very happy.”

Ho, who was obviously satisfied with her performance, said “I joined this competition last year and what made me happy is that I have achieved a better time this year.”

Mohd Farhan Mulyadiy clinched first place with Darmindra Manoharan second and Nashareen Ainal Wisa third in the men’s 5-kilometre race.

In the women’s run, it was Anthea Qng Lim who reached the finishing line ahead of Frances Ngu Meng Lin and Catherine Tan.  On hand to present prizes were MBKS Deputy Mayor Abang Affandi Abang Annuar, DBKU representative Basil Wee, tHe Spring Advertising & Promotions Manager Ronald Ling and Sarawak Marathon Association representative Wong Chen Yi.

IT’S GOLD: Malaysian men’s single champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei bites his gold medal after defeating Marc Zwiebler from Germany during Djarum Indonesia Open 2013 men’s final at Senayan sport center in Jakarta. Chong Wei defeated Zwiebler 21-15, 21-14 to bag the gold medal. — AFP photo

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Lee Chong Wei won his fifth  Indonesian Open title after beating Marc Zwiebler in the final at Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta yesterday.

The top seed and silver medalist at 2012 London Olympic Games took just 40 minutes to send the 22nd seed German packing, 21-15, 21-14.

The win proves that Chong Wei, the winner in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 is still the player to beat.

In the 2011 Indonesian Open, Chong Wei beat Denmark’s Peter Hoeg Gade, 21-11, 21-7.

He first won the Indonesian Open title in 2007 beating China’s Bao Chunlai, 21-15, 21-16.

In the women’s singles final, Li Xuerui of China had to slog for one hour before beating Juliane Schenk of Germany, 21-16, 18-21, 21-17.

Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan won the men’s doubles when they  beat South Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae, 21-14, 21-18.

Unfancied Bao Yixin/Cheng Shu of China shocked compatriots and topseed Wang Xiaoli/Yu Yang, 15-21, 21-18, 21-18 to grab the women’s doubles title.

Third seed Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei of China won the mixed doubles title beating fourth seed Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christina Pedersen of Denmark, 24-22, 20-22, 21-12 after one hour and 21 minutes. —Bernama

WE DID IT: Winners of the Men’s Junior Category in jubilant mood after collecting their medals and trophies with Adenan (second, right) and Azmi (far left).

LUNDU: Lundu Invitational Mountain Bike Challenge 2013 concluded with four different teams winning the four categories contested yesterday.

These were the four cross country races on the final day with the main and final event, the Men’s Elite category, flagged off at 2.30pm.

Team SAXON, Corbusier, Arus Racing and SBS Giant finished top in the Men’s Junior, Men’s Veteran, Ladies Open and Men’s Elite categories respectively.

141 proved to be the lucky number tag for state cyclist Junaidah Juss as she finished her race three minutes ahead of Pahang state cyclist Siti Aisyah Alias in the Ladies Open category.

Lundu native and Junaidah’s team mate in the Arus Racing Team Rosnina Minggu finished third. The state cylist clocked  1 hour 52 seconds.

“We are here in Sarawak for exposure. This is part of our preparations for next year’s Sukma in Perlis,” Pahang state coach Mohamad Fauzi Hashim said.

In the Men’s Elite category, national cylist Shahrin Amir defended his title which he won last year by finishing in 1 hour, 38 minutes and 45 seconds.

“It was a good personal achievement for me and I am so glad that I did not disappoint myself this year. I must admit that I have just gone through stiff competition during the race,” he said right after he crossed the finishing line.

Muhammad Raihan Aziz was second only one second behind followed by Mohd Rafiz Rozli eight seconds later.

Other winners during the final day included Supian Nor, Patrick Siqueen and Azeree Mohamed who finished first, second and third respectively in the Men’s Veteran category. Hamif Kamaludin, Awang Adib Awang Sufian and Mahathir Norseman claimed first, second and third respectively in the Men’s Junior category.

Special Functions Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem was present during the closing ceremony with Lundu district officer Azmi Bujang to present prizes to the winners.

CLOSE CALL: 1MAS U16 goalkeeper Muhd Nurazwan Syafiq Amri makes a save during their final league match against SMK Penrissen No.1 yesterday. They lost 0-4. — Photo by Mohd Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: Schools hockey powerhouse SMK Penrissen No.1 remained unbeaten in the inaugural Danawa SHA Junior League (Boys) when they overwhelmed 1MAS U16 4-0 in their final league match at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium yesterday.

All goals came in the second half through Acro Zhan in the 38th minute via a penalty corner, field goals by Abranden Vylienden in the 45th and 49th minute, and another goal from a penalty corner by Rhohan Utok in the 60th minute.

With the win, the Penrissen boys also stayed on top of the league standings with 15 points from five wins while 1MAS U16 are second with 12 points.

The two teams will face off in the final next Sunday and it would be interesting to see whether 1MAS U16 can avenge their yesterday’s defeat to SMK Penrissen No. 1.

Meanwhile, in third place are SMK Bau Combined, followed by SMK Muara Tuang in fourth place while in fifth and sixth spots are 1MAS U14 and IPGTAR respectively.

The six-year-old, standing head and shoulders above the field of seven runners, was hardly tested, leading from start to finish to give jockey Roslan Bujang an armchair ride to winning post for a very easy first-up victory.

He Is The One made an early break on settling down, quickening strides past the 600 metres mark to open up a big lead as the field straigthened up for home.

Taken to the outside for better ground, He Is The One was in cruise mode with the rest playing catch-up but making no impression on the All Stars’ Stable’s chestnut galloper which coasted to the finishing line by a distance from Little Apache (Jasmi Kamar) with Big Chief (Mazlan Bujang) 3 1/2  length away.

The winner paid RM6.

Budak Kampung passed its test in Class One with flying colours in Race Five over 1000M.

The long-striding seven-year-old was kept in midfield until the 300M mark where it opened up with big bounding strides on the outside, going to the finishing line with 8 1/2 lengths to spare on the bit from the front-running Bintang Kilong (J Azizi).

Money Come (J Kamar) was third four lengths adrfit.

Baduk Kampung paid RM6.

Nippy Peace Pipe (Othman Putit) showed plenty of heart when it staved off a late bit by Stranger to win in Race One (Class Five- 1000M).

The W Stable’s four-year-old did not wilt under the pressure, chomping on the bit to score by 2 1/2 lengths, paying RM16.

Precious Moment (Hamid Ellie) finished third 9 lengtns away.

Dream Lobo extended a three-race winning streak by registering

a fourth susccesive victory in Race Three (Class 3 – 1000M)

The All Star Stable’s three-year-old produced a trademark flying finish to pass pace-setter Sofia’s Pet in the final 50 metres for a well-timed 1 1/2-lengths victory.

Datang Lagi (Roslan Bujang) was third two lengths away.

The winner paid RM9.

The going was yielding.

COMING CLOSE: Phil Mickelson of the US chips to the 14th green but his ball hit the steel pin and failed to drop during the third round of the 2013 US Open golf championship at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. — Reuters photo

ARDMORE, Pennsylvania: Five-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson has a golden chance to finally capture the major title that has heartbreakingly eluded him in Sunday’s final round at challenging Merion.

On his 43rd birthday and Father’s Day, the four-time major champion who skipped practice this week at Merion to fly across the nation and attend his daughter Amanda’s middle school graduation could at last win a US Open.

“It has got the makings to be something special, but I still have to go out and perform and play some of my best golf,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson made a rare birdie at the par-3 17th in Saturday’s third round that eased the sting of a closing bogey in a par-70 round that put the left-hander atop the leaderboard at one-under par 209 after 54 holes.

Mickelson’s 41 career titles include the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters and the 2005 PGA Championship but he has been second a record five times at the US Open — 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2009.

He called himself an idiot after one near miss. Another came with him set to leave the course if a pager call came saying wife Amy was about to give birth to their first child, which was Amanda. They add up to frustration.

“I don’t think I feel any more pressure than anybody else who wants to win a major championship, but it would certainly mean a lot to me tomorrow if I could play some of my best golf,” Mickelson said.

“I do believe I’ve got an under par round in me tomorrow even with the difficult pins and the possibly firmer conditions.”

Mickelson opens with a one-stroke edge over compatriots Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan and South African Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion. But he has been this close before and come away painfully empty handed.

“I’ve had opportunities in years past and it has been so fun, even though it has been heartbreaking to come so close a number of times and let it slide,” Mickelson said.

“But I feel better equipped than I have ever felt heading into the final round of a US Open. My ball striking is better than it has ever been. My putting is better than it has been in years and I feel very comfortable on this golf course.

“I feel as well equipped as I could be heading into the final round.”

There would be no better feel-good story for the fans at Merion that a victory by “Lefty” as spectators cheer Mickelson more than any other player.

“The support from the crowd has been really great,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson’s week began with a flight from rain-drenched Merion to Southern California so he could practice at home and attend his daughter Amanda’s eighth-grade graduation ceremony on Wednesday.

An overnight airplane ride brought Mickelson back for his early Thursday tee time with little sleep, but he has been atop the leaderboard after every round, his journey allowing time for course notes as well as family time.

“I didn’t feel I needed more time at Merion, what I needed was to get my game sharp and having a nice practice facility and nice weather allowed me to do that, so it worked out great on both ends,” Mickelson said. — AFP

DREaM START: Brazil’s Neymar scores a goal during their Confederations Cup Group A soccer match against Japan at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia. — Reuters photo

BRAS LIA: Neymar inspired Brazil to a 3-0 win over Japan on Saturday as the five-time world champions made a perfect start to their bid to clinch a third successive Confederations Cup title.

Brazil won the competition in 1997, as well as the 2005 and 2009 editions, although their ensuing World Cup performances left much to be desired.

With next year’s World Cup on home soil for the first time since 1950, this year’s vintage are bent on winning both tournaments, if only to send a message out to Pele, who said before Saturday’s game the current squad are not good enough.

Neymar, who has just in the past month switched to Pele’s famous but historically onerous number 10 shirt, lived entirely up to the hype as he scored a brilliant opening goal after just three minutes.

He went on to lead the Japanese defence a merry dance before Paulinho and Jo made the points safe after the break.

“Neymar is a great player, a real star who is going to make the difference,” said Brazil coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Neymar added: “Fred collected the ball and laid it off, I connected full on and happily the ball found the target.”

Japan skipper Makoto Hasebe earned a booking from Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca for fouling his rival in first-half injury-time.

A 67,400 crowd, who roundly booed FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff beforehand following protests at the amount of money being spent on sports events, were entranced by Neymar’s stunning opener.

The new Barcelona star hit a thunderbolt past Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima after Real Madrid defender Marcelo had crossed languidly from the left.

Bustling centre forward Fred chested down for Neymar to drill in from 20 metres into the top corner and leave the Asian champions stunned.

Buoyed by that, Brazil started to boss the show against a Japanese side they had thrashed 4-0 in their last meeting, an October friendly in Poland.

Hulk, marauding in a three-pronged attack with Neymar and Fred, almost made it 2-0 four minutes before the break but his shot found only the side netting.

If Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japanese, who included in their ranks a raft of Europe-based talent including Manchester United star Shinji Kagawa and CSKA Moscow’s Keisuke Honda, hoped they had weathered the storm in limiting the damage to one goal at the break they were to be soon disabused.

There were three minutes on the second-half clock when attacking full-back Dani Alves slung over a perfectly weighted pass for Paulinho to hit a low drive that Kawashima could only help into the roof of his net.

Japan desperately sought to respond, Shinji Okazaki of Stuttgart firing wide before Zaccheroni made his first change on 50 minutes, sending on Ryoichi Maeda in place of Hiroshi Kiyotake, moving Okazaki out to the right with Maeda in a more central role.

Maeda brought a smart stop from Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal on entering the fray.

He then tried a left-footer which the Queens Park Rangers shot-stopper smothered well after Honda, who scored the penalty against Australia which saw Japan become the first country to seal World Cup qualification just prior to coming to Brazil, had a free-kick charged down.

Kagawa was despondent as Japan struggled to find their feet having only been in the country barely three days after completing their successful World Cup qualifying programme in Doha last Tuesday with a win over Iraq. — AFP

“They have suffered a complete defeat by the football kingdom Brazil,” the Nippon TV network said in a noontime news programme hours after the Confederations Cup opener in Brasilia ended in the early morning Japan time.

The phrase was echoed by other media outlets as they reacted to the heavy loss to the five-time world champions.

Kyodo News recalled that Japan’s key players had vowed to use the tournament, which comprises the best teams of each continent, as a springboard for next year’s World Cup, also in Brazil.

“But after Brazil brought Japan crashing back down to earth on Saturday, the Asian champions might be thinking twice,” it said.

CSKA Moscow and Japan midfield dynamo Keisuke Honda agreed.

“It was a complete defeat today. We must realise where we are in terms of capability,” he told Japanese television. “But we still have two games left so we need to refocus ourselves.”

The Blue Samurai had wished to do better than a 4-0 loss to Brazil in a friendly in neutral Poland last October, but instead now have eight defeats with two draws in 10 games against the South Americans.

“There’s just too big of a gap in individual quality,” said Inter-Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo. “Look at it this way: is anyone on Japan good enough to play for Brazil? The answer is no, not one.”

“If each and every one of us doesn’t try to become the best player he can possibly be, we won’t be able to bridge the gap in the year ahead.”

Japan became the first nation to qualify for the 2014 World Cup along with hosts Brazil when they finished at the top of an Asian group this month.

Coached by former AC Milan boss Alberto Zaccheroni, they hope to reach the quarter-final stage in Brazil for their best ever World Cup finish.

At the Confederations Cup group stage, the Blue Samurai will face Italy on Wednesday and London Olympic champions Mexico on June 22.

Japan have played Italy once in the past, in a 2001 home friendly that ended in a 1-1 draw.

“Our only option is to win the next two games. A draw won’t be good enough,” Nagatomo said. “But if we play the way we did today, there’s no way we’re going to win our next game.” — AFP

Mourinho had long been linked with a potential move to Old Trafford and many pundits felt he would be United’s number one choice when it was revealed that Ferguson was going to step down at the end of the season.

Although Mourinho claimed Ferguson told him several months ago he was planning to quit, even that bombshell apparently didn’t persuade the Portuguese coach to make a play for the United job.

It has been widely suggested that United’s decision to hire Everton’s David Moyes instead of attempting to lure Mourinho from Real Madrid was prompted by concern over the former Inter Milan manager’s volatile temperament.

But Mourinho is adamant he was always determined to rejoin Chelsea if he ever came back to the Premier League and that dream has now come to fruition after he was officially unveiled for his second spell as Blues boss last week.

“I knew that Ferguson was retiring many months ago. And I’m so happy with this trust because it’s big news for the world,” Mourinho said.

“I can imagine just a very close circle around him knew that and it was a big responsibility for me to know.

“Why do I know that? I know because we are friends. So if I am Sir Alex’s friend to know he is going to retire, he is also my friend to know that the club I want to coach in England is Chelsea.

“Of course, I told him that. I told him I want to come to Chelsea. I would turn down everyone in the world for Chelsea.

“Come to England and not to come to Chelsea? Only if Chelsea doesn’t want me. If Chelsea doesn’t want me, I am a professional, I have to follow my life, I have to be happy in another place.

“But when at the same time, I want to leave Real, I want to come to England, and Chelsea is waiting for me, so of course it is emotional because it is the only decision I can make.”

Now Mourinho is back at Stamford Bridge six years after his sacking by Blues owner Roman Abramovich.

He sometimes had a fractious relationship with Abramovich, but he is keen to talk positively of his dealings with the demanding Russian billionaire.

Even the decision to sign Andriy Shevchenko for  30 million, which proved to be a disastrous move and was regarded as a sign of Abramovich meddling in team affairs, is now seen in a positive light by Mourinho.

“Do you want to know the truth? I hope the board is not upset with me,” he said.

“We wanted to buy Samuel Eto’o and the boss (Abramovich) did everything to bring him. In the end, Barcelona said we don’t sell, forget it. So then we looked at Shevchenko.

“I was happy with Shevchenko. Even with the top dogs that you buy for millions, sometimes it doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean you or the club made a mistake. It just doesn’t work.”

Mourinho had many supporters amongst the playing staff during his first spell at Chelsea, but that won’t stop him laying down the law to his squad when they meet for pre-season training.

“If you are a top professional, if you are not a selfish person, if you put the club in front of yourself and if you are here to work 100 per-cent for me, for your fellow players and for the club, we will have a wonderful relationship,” he said.

“If you are selfish, if you don’t care about the club, don’t care about the fans, don’t care about the image, we are in big trouble.

“Sometimes you a couple of guys who are not so keen to accept these kind of rules and this is where you have some problematic relationships.” — AFP

TRIUMPHANT: Winners of the men’s time trial category celebrating their success with Azmi (left).

LUNDU: Sukma rider Awang Adib Awang Sufian proved that he is still one of the best junior cyclists in the country after winning the Junior Men’s Open category (time trial) in Lundu yesterday.

Representing team SAXON, he completed the race in 10 minutes beating 18 others on the first day of the Lundu Invitational Mountain Bike Challenge 2013, held at the Lundu Sports Complex.

Gary Tay from Corbusier was second while Awang Adib’s team mate Hanif Kamaludin came in third.

Awang Adib also took first place in the criterion category while Mahathir Norseman of the Viking Club finished second followed by Hanif Kamaludin of team SAXON third.

The women’s time trial saw state cyclists  Junaidah Juss and Rosnina Minggu claiming first and second respectively. Both represented the AC Racing team.

SBS Giant Racing’s Laura Avila Adrian was third.

Junaidah and Rosnina repeated their triumph in the criterium event in the same order followed by Pahang’s Siti Aisyah Alias.

“I was against very good competition today. I am nevertheless happy today as I came here to win,” Junaidah said.

The Elite men’s time trial saw Brunei Giant Racing Team’s Muhammad Raihan Abd Aziz emerging champion after beating Shahrin Amir from SBS Giant Racing Team and national cyclist Suhardi Hassan into second and third place respectively.

“The race was very challenging indeed. I think that the race track is more exciting this year,” observed Muhammad Raihan.

Muhammad Raihan also won the men’s criterium event followed by Suhardi and Wan Mohd Wan Najmie from OMG in second and third place.

In the men’s veteran criterium, veteran racer Patrick Siqueen of SAXON Multi Sports Extreme Club was ranked first.

He beat out Roger Asira from Team MasWing and Rafi Ravi of team Chiru Raving Adventure.

In the men’s time trial competition veteran, Supian Nor of Team Corbusier won.

Second place went to Patrick while Azeree Mohamed from Team OMG came in third place.

The Lundu Closed race was won by Allan Chien Key Suan from Sematan Cycling Club

Abang Sudirman Abang Indi from Sonamu Cycling Team and Wong Tuck Meng from Sematan finished second and third respectively.

Santubong MP Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar flagged-off the races yesterday while Lundu district officer Azmi Bujang presented prizes to the winners.

The competition resumes today.

They were among the 17 Special Olympic athletes from across Malaysia who were invited to compete.

Overall, Malaysian Special Olympic athletes amassed 10 gold, 13 silver and six bronze medals to cap a fine outing.

The six athletes representing Special Olympics Sarawak, Sibu Chapter were Aaron Ling Thai Yun and Raven Ngieng Zhi Jie, both in aquatics, Ting Hui Nee and Nursyafiqah Elisa Suhaimi in the bocce events and Albert Wong Siew Ying and Ting Jin Ping in the bowling events.

Jin Ping took gold in the bowling individual event and later partnered with Albert to bag the silver in the team event.

Swimmers Aaron took gold in the 200m freestyle and two silver medals in the 100m and 50m freestyle while Raven achieved a gold in the 50m freestyle and silver in 200m and bronze in 100m freestyle.

Nursyafiqah took silver in the bocce event.

ANOTHER FINAL: Chong Wei returns the shuttlecock during the Indonesia Open semi-final against Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka of Indonesia at Senayan sport centre in Jakarta. — AFP photo

KUALA LUMPUR: National champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei edges closer to the title of the Indonesian Open Premier Super Series Badminton championship for the fifth year after trouncing host player Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka, to advance to the final.

At the semi-final round at the Bung Karno Istora Gelora Stadium, Jakarta yesterday, Chong Wei took 39 minutes to cast aside Dionysius Hayom with 21-17 and 21-14. Waiting for him at the final is German player Marc Zwiebler who also beat another host player Tommy Sugiarto  21-17 and 21-10 in 37 minutes.

For the record, Chong Wei won the Indonesian Open championship in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. — Bernama

SERIOUS?: China players Yu Yang (left) and Wang Xiaoli (right) return the shuttlecock against Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua from China at Senayan sport center during the Indonesian Open Super Series semi-finals at Senayan sport centre in Jakarta. — AFP photo

JAKARTA: Chinese badminton is once again coming under fire after world number three Du Pengyu’s shock loss to unranked Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka at the Indonesia Super Series event.

The sport’s governing, the Badminton World Federation, has long been concerned about players withdrawing from ‘smaller’ events and team mates pulling out of matches to avoid competing against each other.

The issue blew up at last year’s London Olympics when four women’s doubles pairs from China, South Korea and Indonesia deliberately played to lose their matches in order to get a more favourable draw. The BWF disqualified all four pairings and banned them after the farcical scenes sullied the sport’s reputation and sent shockwaves through the Olympic tournament.

In Jakarta, Du lost 21-15 15-21 21-9 to home favourite Rumbaka to leave China, the dominant force in world badminton and the winner of all five gold medals in London, without a player in the men’s singles or doubles.

While Du credited the impressive play of Rumbaka for the surprise defeat, more sceptical observers said Chinese shuttlers save themselves for bigger events and do not take the smaller tournaments, like the  700,000 Indonesian event, seriously.

“I don’t want to take any credit away from Hayom but Pengyu hardly gave a fight in the rubber game,” Malaysia coach Rashid Sidek was quoted as saying by the Malaysian Star.

“Pengyu is the top seed in the Singapore Open next week but I won’t be surprised if he does not live up to the billing. — Reuters

World number one Woods and second-ranked McIlroy each carded a level-par 70 on a brutally challenging Merion Golf Club layout where finding rough was a virtual guarantee of a bogey with tough pin positions to tackle on the greens.

Both players were happy with their respective positions going into the final two rounds of the year’s second major, despite finishing at three over par – six strokes off the early lead.

“I played well,’ Woods told reporters after mixing three birdies with three bogeys on a sun-drenched, breezy afternoon at Merion that followed a week with rain.

“I just made a couple of mistakes out there today, but I really played well. Maybe I could have gotten one or two more out of it, but it was a pretty good day.      “They’ve really tried to protect the golf course, with it being as soft as it is. And they’ve given us some really, really tough pins.”  Asked if he liked his chances heading into the weekend as he continues his bid for a 15th major title, but his first in five years, Woods simply replied: “Yes.”

Though Merion is hosting the US Open for the first time in 32 years after long being viewed as too short to stage a major, Woods disagreed with suggestions that the iconic East Course would be exposed by the power hitters in the modern game.

“Unless you have played practice rounds out here and you’ve seen the golf course, you don’t realise how difficult it is,” the three-times US Open champion said.

“The short holes are short, but if you miss the fairway, you can’t get the ball on the green. And the longer holes are brutal.     “And this is probably the stiffest set of par-threes that we ever face. And then they’ve thrown some of the pin locations in that they have and it’s really tough.”

McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open champion at Congressional, felt the combination of tricky pin positions and swirling breezes had been the biggest factor in pushing up the scores in the second round.

“They put the pins in places that even when you hit it close, you had a tough putt for your birdie or your par or whatever,” the 24-year-old said after offsetting four birdies with four bogeys.

“The wind is up, and it’s tough to gauge this wind. It swirls a little bit in these big trees and it’s hard to pull a club sometimes. That’s why I think you’re seeing the scores rise a little bit today.

“And if you don’t hit the fairways here, you’re not going to score. If you do hit the fairways, it’s still a big challenge from there.”

Like his good friend Woods, McIlroy was also delighted with his two-round total on a challenging venue where the average score in the second round was almost five over par.

“I’m very happy,” said McIlroy, who clinched his second major title at last year’s PGA Championship to put the seal on a stellar 2012 campaign which he ended by leading the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Right in there for the weekend. I don’t think I’ll be too far away by the end of the day. I’m in a nice position going into the last two days.”

McIlroy and Woods attracted huge galleries at Merion after being grouped with Masters champion Adam Scott for the first two rounds in a mouth-watering combination of the world’s top three players.

However, Australian Scott has not fared as well, struggling to a 75 to finish at seven-over 147. — Reuters

Datuk Hamidin Mohamad Amin, vice president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said the money will be given to spectators who spot individuals throwing firecrackers or other projectiles.

“All that they need to do is alert the nearest policemen if they see anyone attempting to disrupt the match,” he told AFP.

FAM decided to take the approach after fans stormed a stadium hosting a Malaysian football championship semi-final and forced the game to be called off amid chaotic scenes last month.

Fans threw water bottles and stones and stormed the pitch in Pahang during the FA Cup’s second-leg semi-final between Pahang and Johor Darul Takzim forcing the game to be abandoned.

The new measure to offer cash will be for the finals between Kelantan and Johor Darul Takzim on June 29 and some 80,000 fans are expected to throng the Bukit Jalil stadium.

“We want football to be played in a peaceful environment. Fans and supporters come to watch the game to have fun. We don’t want to see fights on the pitch,” Hamidin said.

Malaysians are football-mad but their patience has been repeatedly tested by problems besetting the sport, particularly allegations of match-fixing.

In one of the most recent cases, football authorities had promised to investigate claims of match-rigging during a second-tier Premier League match and urged police to protect players amid reports of death threats by bookies. — AFP

PLAYER TO WATCH: Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (left) helps Neymar to reach a ball during a training session at the National Stadium in Brasilia. — AFP photo

BRAS LIA: Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari on Friday threw his support behind Neymar, the under-pressure star widely-regarded as Pele’s heir apparent.

Neymar, who has just signed for Barcelona from Santos, Pele’s former club, has come in for repeated criticism from the media, who feel that he has not produced the goods for the Selecao.

He hasn’t scored for nine games for club and country and will be in the spotlight again on Saturday when Brazil kick-off the Confederations Cup against Asian champions, Japan.

“He does not wear 11 jerseys but one – he is part of a team,” Scolari told a press conference on Friday.

“He has done what is requested of him with a lot of dedication.

“We want him to be a useful, team player – that is what makes a good player,” added Scolari, who expressed some frustration with what he feels is an overly-critical press.

“Everyone from abroad respects us a lot yet here in Brazil people are always saying what a bad team we have.

“Yet it is crucial to have the crowd supporting us,” said Scolari, as he insisted that the team did not have to feel extra pressure simply because the three-time Confederations Cup winners are hosts.

Scolari said on returning to the job last November in place of sacked Mano Menezes that he was clear the fans would demand success and expect to win both the Condeferations Cup and next summer’s World Cup – also on home soil.

But he said achieving those aims were advancing step by step.

“We must dedicate ourselves to helping Brazil evolve in all areas, not just in terms of football. We must be patient.”

Scolari said he wanted to produce attacking, flowing football but said ability to adapt was what counted for him.

“I have to adapt players – obviously they won’t all play the same way they play for their clubs, so we must adapt. We need to give the players freedom to play based on their characteristics.”

Saying he expected Japan, beaten 4-0 the last time the countries met in an October friendly, to attack, Scolari added he wanted to pursue a variety of options when it came to Brazil’s own offensive prowess.

That meant giving Neymar licence to roam on occasion for the benefit of his teammates, if not his own goalscoring opportunities.

“Many times we use Neymar in the middle as a second main striker and sometimes out wide as he also has that skill and has done very well,” said the coach.

“If he hasn’t scored he is trying to support others and he does not have to score a goal. He doesn’t have to dribble past 20 players but be a team player. Then everyone will feel great.

“We have not removed his skills, but he has to be part of a team.

“He is an idol for Brazilians and we must therefore protect him. He is 21 years old and cannot win on his own.”

Not withstanding their recent friendly thumping, Japan are Asian champions and have already become the first side to book their World Cup berth through the qualifying process.

As a result, Scolari says he expects a tough encounter at the Estadio Nacional, an arena also named after Mane Garrincha, a star of Brazil’s 1958 world champions.

“I would not be embarrassed to lose to Japan. We will play our football and play to win but if Japan did not have qualities they would not be here.” — AFP

ALL READY: Local members of Team Corbusier take a breather during their training at the vicinity of Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya. The young cycling club is ready for the coming Jelajah Malaysia race to be held on June 26.

KUCHING: Kuching-based cycling club, Team Corbusier will be represented by six riders including two from Australia for the coming Jelajah Malaysia race to be held on June 26.

Team Corbusier’s principal, Safri Mohammed yesterday told the Borneo Post that the two riders are namely Dan Bonello from Sydney and Paul van der Ploeg from Melbourne.

“They are now still in Australia but they will be joining us soon for the team’s presentation to be held in Kuala Lumpur on June 25,” he said on the two riders who will joining fellow team mates Mohamad Azrul Taufiq Annuar, 19, who just won this year’s South East Asian (SEA) Track GP 30km points race, Sylvester Ding, Supian Nor and national junior cyclist Laurel Laridsen.

According to him, the team is in the final preparation for the grueling 856 km Jelajah Malaysia which is the country’s oldest club event and entry is by invitation with the 23 top teams from around the region are expected to take part in the UCI 2.2 status UCI Asia Tour.

The race is organised by Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) and sanctioned by International Cycling Union (UCI) and the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC).

“Two of our riders are also still in their hometowns…they will only be joining us prior to the team presentation ceremonies,” Safri said on the latest updates on Team Corbusier’s riders recruited from other states.

The cycling club was just formed 16 months ago and yet it had already been invited to another UCI 2.2 status event namely the Tour of Borneo and the coming UCI 2.2 Harian Metro Malaysia Mountainbike GP Series.

In its final preparation, Team Corbusier will be holding a five days training camp in Kuching prior the race.

They will be leaving for the event on June 22.

Meanwhile, Safri had disclosed that Team Corbusier had been approached by a potential sponsor who was keen to work together with the club.

“We had been approached by a potential sponsor recently and they were interested to sponsor and have a working relationship with us,” he enthused on the possibility for Team Corbusier to have its own official sponsor soon.

He said it is challenging to set up a cycling outfit and to establish a name in the national circuit but Team Corbusier had already attracted the attention of race organisers and potential sponsors.

The teams taking part are namely SBS Giant from Kedah, Arus Poligon Club, Pahang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia and Brunei.

According to the organising committee chairman, Azmi Bujang the event’s sponsors include Ministry of Social Development Sarawak, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, Department for Road Safety, Sarawak Tourism Board, DiGi, Redbull, SBS Giant and Aero Drive Sdn. Bhd.

He is calling on the public to participate in the challenging event and they can register at Dewan Masyarakat Lundu from 10:00am to 5:00 pm today.

Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) president Datu Sudarsono Osman said Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak (18), Nur Shamie Iszuan Amin (18) and Lyerron Lensem (18) got the call ups .

“FAS is proud with their call-ups and hope that they will succeed in the trial selection,” he said in a press conference yesterday.

According to him, the three young players had performed well during the National Under 19 Football Championship held in Pahang recently.

He added “This is indeed a good development and heartening news for the association and all those who are involved in the state football development programme.”

“FAS also wish to congratulate and thank Sarawak State Sports Council and all the coaches involved in the state’s junior football development programme,” said Sudarsono on the players who were selected because they possess the skills and have great potential.

Last year, Hafiz Saperi, Shreen Tambi and Ibrahim Jobeli from the state President’s Cup squad were also called up to join Harimau Muda B.

“However, talent and skills alone does not guarantee the success of a footballer. What’s more important is that they must have confidence and the strong determination to be successful,” he said while urging players to always strive to improve their skills, knowledge and try to become the best in the country.

Samarahan Country Club is one of the 40 venues selected to host the qualifying rounds for the event while Bintulu Golf Club will also host one of the qualifying rounds tomorrow.

Samarahan Country Club president Brian Chien said he was happy with the good response to the qualifying round at the club.

“Format of play is stroke play – nett score and the competition is divided into five handicap categories. They are 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20 and 21-25,” he said in a press release yesterday.

Brian who is also Sarawak Golf Association (SGA) president, said the tournament venues for Malaysia are divided into Northern, Central, Southern and East zones.

“The winner from each handicap categories will qualify to the Zone Final that will be held at Kota Permai Golf and Country Club on Sept 19 and the five winners from the Zone Final will advance to national finals at Damai Laut Golf and Country Club on Oct 6,” he added.

Brian said the champion from each handicap category at the national finals will represent Malaysia in the World Final to be held in Durban, South Africa from Oct 29 to Nov 5.

For the second consecutive year, Perodua had become the title sponsor and had also has offered a Myvi Car as the hole-in-one prizes during the zonal final and national final.

Samarahan Country Club president, Brian Chien said the club is honoured to be chosen as the venue for both junior tournaments.

“This is a good opportunity for our junior golfers to display their skills and compete with their counterparts from other states,” he said yesterday.

Brian who is also Sarawak Golf Association (SGA) president, said Samarahan Country Club will host the Faldo Series Malaysia Championship from Oct 7-10.

“This tournament is open to all juniors between the ages of 12 and 21. The winners of the three age groups for both boys and girls will represent Malaysia in the Faldo Series Final in Mission Hills, China where Sir Nick Faldo will also be present,” he said.

He said this year’s Sports Excel Junior Golf Tournament for juniors aged 18 years and below will be held from Nov 13-16.

Meanwhile, SGA in collaboration with the Samarahan Country Club will conduct a golf school from June onwards.

“This is for juniors aged 18 and below and the school will be conducted by veteran professional V Nellan. The junior lessons will be a subsidised rate of RM80 per junior per month,” said Brian.

“All these initiatives are undertaken by SGA to promote junior golf in Sarawak and we hope to expand the tournaments and golf school to other part of Sarawak,” he added.

The second place went to Rentap house followed by Sharif Masahor in third place while Rosli Dhoby house finished at fourth place.

According to SMK Riam Parents Teachers Association (PTA) chairman, Balan Bandar, each of the competing sports houses had entered 300 athletes to compete in 77 individual events.

SMK Riam Correctional cadets under the supervision of Lambir Prison performed a parade to mark the launching of the sports meet.

The cadet team had recently represented Sarawak in the national level Correctional Foot Drill held in Langkawi in May and emerged as the overall champion.

Meanwhile, four students were awarded the sportsman and sportswoman title during the meet.

The Senior Sportsman title went to Andrian Jaya who won gold medals in 110 m obstacle race, 200m event and the long jump event in the Boys A category.

The Senior Sportwoman title went to Alice Naling who emerged champion in the triple jump event, won the second place in the 100m obstacle run and the fourth place in long jump in the Girls A category.

The Junior Sportsman title was won by Julhanizam Julaihi who emerged champion in the disk event, javelin, and shot putt in the Boys B category.

Joannie Lungan Johnny was awarded the Junior Sportswoman title for emerging champion in the 200m event and high jump event, as well as winning the second place in the obstacle run in the Girls B category.

Minister counselor from the Embassy of Brazil in Malaysia, Jose Soares Jr said yesterday that in Brazil alone, about five per cent of the youths practice capoeira.

“It is being taught as a curriculum subject in our schools as well as international schools. The last World Capoeira Championship was held in Azerbaijan,” he told reporters in a press conference at Pheonix Gym yesterday.

Soares is in Kuching to attend the Simplesmente Capoeira, a three-day capoeira workshop organised by Movimento Simples de Capoeira Sarawak from yesterday until Sunday.

“Capoiera is suitable and good for all ages and a healthy game,” said the 66-year-old who took up capoeira about one and a half years ago while working in Malaysia.

He was pleased to note that Malcolm Wu Han, the founder and instructor of Movimento Simples de Capoeira Sarawak, had taken the initiative to introduce and promote Brazilian capoeira locally.

Meanwhile, the Simplesmente Capoeira included a workshop conducted by Rafael Barbosa Rosario last night at Crown Towers, a workshop by Contra Mestre Claudinho today at the same venue from 2pm to 4pm, the Roda De Rua (street game) is to be held from 5pm to 6:30pm at Plaza Merdeka main entrance today and Noitre Brasileira (Brazilian Night) at Havana Cafe tonight from 9pm to 12pm.

The programmes will continue tomorrow with the Batizado E Troca De Corda at the ground floor of Plaza Merdeka from 2pm to 4pm.

About 50 people from China, Japan, Sabah, West Malaysia and Sarawak will participate in the three-day workshop.

Among those already in Kuching are Zacarias Masaki Hasegawa and Yosuke Saito of Bantus Capoeira Japan, and Rahmawati Laurey and Fahmi Sarto from Borneo Capoeira.

Pheonix Gym is one of the co-sponsors for the event and it is expected to hold capoeira classes soon.

The event which will end tomorrow is jointly organised by State Youth Department (JBS) and Kuching Netball Association (KNA).

“We have received good response for the competition and the confirmed number of teams taking part is 16,” said KNA president, Hanimah Hood.

She added “The teams will be playing in a league format and the competition will enter the final round on Sunday at 3:30pm while the closing ceremony will be held at 4:00pm.”

The teams are divided into four groups with SM Sains A are placed together with MSSC Superb and Pending in Group A, Last Minit, Tee Jay, Storm riders and MSSC WOW are in Group B, Young Girls, UiTM, Lavender and Young Girl 1 are in Group C while Monster, Medical, SM Sains B and Chief Minister’s Office (JKM) are in Group D.

Meanwhile Hanimah is also calling for entries for this year’s Kuching Open Netball Championship will start on June 23 and will end on June 30 at MBKS Indoor Stadium of Jalan Pending.

“We are encouraging teams from secondary schools to take part in the event because we will be selecting players who will represent Kuching for next year’s Sarawak Netball Championship to be held in Sibu sometime in March,” she said.

The teams’ manager meeting will be on June 22 at 10am at the Lecture Room 2 of Kompleks Belia dan Sukan Negeri Sarawak at Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.

Those interested to are requested contact Hanimah at 013-826164, Azura Mohd Zahri at 013-7002458 or Goh Ming Yuh at 016-8909991 for entry forms or any inquiry.

Scolari led the Selecao to their fifth World Cup, a coronation sealed in Tokyo 11 years ago.

But the fact he is back for a second spell at the helm is evidence of the degree to which impatience and concern rule hearts and minds across this giant footballing nation given a clutch of disappointing showings at major events ever since.

Scolari has insisted since returning to the fold last November, ironically a matter of days after predecessor Mano Manezes’ Brazil side spanked the Japanese 4-0 in a friendly in Poland, that the Confederations Cup is a sideshow and that he cannot deliver a second dose of alchemy overnight.

Yet the pressure is on as the four-time Asian Cup champions should provide a stiff test before further showdowns with Olympic conquerors Mexico and three-time world champions Italy.

Brazil’s star man Neymar says the hosts will not take the Japanese, coached by hugely-experienced Italian Alberto Zaccheroni, lightly, given the hosts are now safe in the knowledge they have booked their World Cup berth and can also draw on the likes of Manchester United favourite Shinji Kagawa.

“Japan are a tricky proposition and not to be underestimated. Keisuke Honda and Kagawa are superb players and the team as a whole mark you very tightly,” said Barcelona-bound Neymar.

Japan say they won’t be caught napping as they were in Poland, but will need to keep an eye on in-form striker Fred, who has five goals in his last six internationals – including two against England in friendly tussles in Wembley – where England won 2-1 and Rio, which ended 2-2.

“Brazil have a very strong team and we need to make sure they don’t dole out a repeat of what they did in Poland,” said midfielder Yasuhito Endo. “We will be out to make a much better impression this time with more at stake.”

The tournament is the first major event hosted by Brazil since the 1989 Confederations Cup and the logistical challenge has been a tough one, raising concerns about whether the country can produce 12 top notch venues for the World Cup.

The opening match at the Estadio Nacional affords residents of the capital a rare chance to watch top-drawer football as the city currently lacks a top-flight team.

The hosts will move on first to Fortaleza then Salvador for their remaining group encounters with Mexico and Italy.

If the Selecao win Group A, they will then travel to Belo Horizonte – scene of England’s 1950 World Cup upset at the hands of the United States – for a June 26 semi-final against either reigning South American champions Uruguay or African champions Nigeria, assuming world champions Spain win Group B.

Should Scolari’s men only take second place in the pool phase they would face a likely Spanish test in Fortaleza on June 27.

If Brasilia is off the beaten track in terms of Brazilian footballing tradition, nonetheless striking parallels can be seen between the city and the national team.

The city is a paean to modern architecture, a realised dream for former President Juscelino Kubitschek, who determined in the mid-1950s that the capital should be based in the very heart of the country rather than remain in Rio.

Kubitschek came up with the slogan “50 years of progress in five,” his era coinciding with the first great Brazil side which, with a teenage Pele on board, lifted their first World Cup in Sweden in 1958. — AFP

“All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false,” Ronaldo tweeted, without elaborating.

The Portuguese’s current deal is due to expire in 2015.

Ronaldo has been linked with a move to big-spending French clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Even former club Manchester United have been mentioned as potential buyers, four years after he left Old Trafford.

Two weeks ago, Real president Florentino Perez denied reports that Ronaldo had rejected a new contract.

“This information is misguided,” Perez told Spanish media.

“I am not going to enter into more details but I will only say that Cristiano’s renewal is not deadlocked, this doesn’t correspond to the reality as we stand today.” — AFP

OSLO: Usain Bolt banished any blues he felt from losing to Justin Gatlin over 100m last week by scorching to an impressive victory in 19.79sec in the 200m in the Diamond League meet in Oslo Thursday.

The Jamaican sprint star raced to a Bislett Games meet record and world lead time of 19.79 seconds to finish well ahead of a weak field made worse when his closest rival, Dutchman Churandy Martina, was disqualified for a false start.

Bolt made sure he was well away at the second time of asking to rebound from just his fifth defeat on the track since the 2008 Beijing Olympics with an awesome display of power both around the bend and also down the home stretch.

“It’s a very good start for my first 200m (of the season). I’ll now go home and work on everything else. I’ll aim to go even faster,” said Bolt, whose next outing will be at the Jamaican national trials ahead of Aug 10-18 world championships in Moscow.

While Bolt shone, there were, however, off-days for Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic javelin champion Keshorn Walcott and former two-time world high jump champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia.

Walcott’s best of 77.03m saw him finish 10th and last in a competition won by Czech Vitezslav Vesely (85.96m).

Norway’s two-time former Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen was sixth with 80.99m.

Vlasic, chasing a fifth victory in her ninth appearance at the Bislett Games, only made four attempts in the women’s high jump, succeeding just once at 1.85m for an early exit in a competition won by Russian Svetlana Shkolina (1.97m) ahead of Sweden’s Emma Green Tregaro and world and Olympic champ Anna Chicherova (both 1.95m).

“It wasn’t my day,” said Vlasic, making her comeback from a nine-month injury lay-off.

“When the competition started, I was emotionally totally empty.

“I wasn’t able to push off, the last three steps were without push or power.”

In what was dubbed the best men’s steeple field ever assembled, Kenyans took the first six places in a dominant showing led by 18-year-old tyro Conseslus Kipruto in 8min 04.48sec, 3sec off his world lead set in Shanghai.

Aided by two Kenyan pacemakers, Kipruto, the bronze medallist at the London Olympics, beat home two-time Olympic and world champion Ezekiel Kemboi and Hillary Yego but failed to dip under the magical 8min mark.

“I was confident despite the fact that Kemboi is Olympic champion, a very tough guy and hard to beat,” beamed Kipruto as he continued his unbeaten form this season.

Twice Olympic champion Meseret Defar of Ethiopia set a cracking new world lead time of 14min 26.91sec to win the 5000m.

Leading through the bell, Defar accelerated from 250 metres to leave Kenyan Viola Kibiwot and Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba trailing in her wake.

“I felt very comfortable through the race,” said Defar.

“I knew I have the shape.

“I think I’m even in world record shape, but was not confident enough to try for it.”

Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic finished in fourth in a slow men’s 400m won by Saudi Arabia’s Youssef Ahmed Masrahi in 45.33sec. It was the first ever win by a Saudi in a running event in the Diamond League, and Masrahi expressed hope that his American coach, the legendary John Smith, would be “satisfied” when he returned to his training base in Los Angeles.

“This is very important for me towards the goal I have and that is a medal in Moscow,” said Masrahi, who only took up the one-lap race in 2008. — AFP

IN HIGH SPIRIT: KRP coach, Mohd Faizal (back row – second left) together with club’s officials and swimmers posing for a group photograph after training for the inaugural KRP Junior swimming invitational meet to be held this Saturday.

MIRI: Kelab Rekreasi Petroleum (KRP) will be organising its inaugural KRP Junior swimming invitational meet this Saturday at the club’s pool in Lutong.

KRP coach, Mohd Faizal @ Thomas Abdullah said 118 swimmers from six teams will be competing in the event and the club is sending the most with 51 participants.

The competing teams are namely Tenby International School with 26 swimmers, Gymkhana Club Miri (GCM) with 25 swimmers, SJK (C) Chung Hua Krokop with 11 swimmers, SJK (C) Chung Hua Miri with four swimmers and Sri Mawar School with one swimmer.

They will compete in 94 events including the team relay.

“Our target is to be the champion with the most medal collection. As a preparation to achieve the goal and other competitions we continuously train our swimmers,” Faizal told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He added “Neverthless for state-level swimmers like Fatin Farahanim…we limit their events to two individuals and one relay team event, to give other swimmers to compete and win medals.”

Former political secretary to the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Sebastian Ting who is also the Piasau SUPP Chairman, will officiate at the opening of the championship at around 8.30 am.

Faizal added that championship was part of their efforts to develop and popularise the sport to as many people as possible.

It is also to enhance closer rapport among the athletes, coaches and their parents as well as to promote KRP to the locals, that they too could help ensure the success of whatever sporting activities organised.

He said apart from championship KRP is also organising swimming lessons and those interested can contact the club manager, Unyat Dollah and his officials, Dayang Hazelina and Johanna Edward.

Meanwhile, GCM is sending 25 swimmers to the meet and the club’s coach, David Chung said his assistant, Allister Chung together with team manager, Candy Ting will be accompanying the team to the meet where 118 swimmers from six teams are competing.

“GCM is hoping to win as many medals as possible in the championship, although our swimmers are very young swimmers age 4 to 6 years,” he said.

“Among our potential boys swimmers are Bryan Chin, Darren Ting, Yii Shiun Kin while the girls are Maurien Hii, Angelica Rachel Carroll,” he said.