MY: SEA GAMES: Reports
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* ATHLETICS: No more starting block woes for Watson
* ATHLETICS: Hilaire not giving anything away to the rivals
* RUGBY: Relief as eye infection is contained
* CYCLING: Kumaresan sets good time and makes the 4km pursuit
* HOCKEY: Pitch a bane for hockey team
* BADMINTON: Heavier responsibility ahead from Kim Hock
NO MORE STARTING BLOCK WOES FOR WATSON
MALAYSIAN sprinter Watson Nyambek will face no problems on the
starting blocks when he lines up for the men's 100m race at the
Main Stadium on Thursday.
Chief coach Daniel St Hilaire made a quick check on the starting
blocks after flying in with the athletics team yesterday.
"The blocks are in excellent condition and they are heavy. Watson
won't have any problems here," said Hilaire.
The Canadian certainly had reason to be apprehensive earlier as
Watson, the national champion, faced problems in the Malaysian Open
and Asian Track and Field (ATF) Championships.
At the Malaysian Open in Penang in August, Watson almost slipped
when he shot off the blocks in the semi-finals. Still, he managed a
new national record of 10.42. In the final, Watson went faster and
clocked 10.38.
Watson encountered the same problems at the ATF in September and
finished last in the final.
"With the knowledge that he will not have problems on the
starting blocks, Watson is now in the right frame of mind to
concentrate on the race," said Hilaire.
Watson and compatriot Azmi Ibrahim go into the race as favourites
to become the fastest man in South-East Asia. Azmi shares the
national record of 10.38 with Watson.
On reiging champion Mardi Lestari's possible withdrawal from the
race, Hilaire said it could be a ploy.
"This is nothing new. Sometimes an athlete says he is injured but
you see him on competition day and he goes on to win the gold
medal," said Hilaire.
"It could be the same story here. I feel that we don't have to
worry about our rivals. We have two excellent sprinters and they
should not worry about the others. They should concentrate on their
race and do their best."
HILAIRE NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY TO THE RIVALS
ATHLETICS chief coach Daniel St Hilaire is keeping the composition
of the Malaysian 4x100m team close to his chest.
Hilaire said yesterday that he was not about to reveal anything
to rivals Thailand and Indonesia, who he believed are monitoring
the Malaysians via newspaper reports.
"I have to be secretive. It's best to keep them guessing. They
may also be giving false information to confuse us. All coaches do
that," said Hilaire. "They will only get to know my quartet on
competition day."
The five sprinters in the team are Azmi Ibrahim, Watson Nyambek,
Mohamed Sad Arshad, Hamdi Jaafar and Sugang Tumiran.
Hurdler Hamdi has been roped in for the 4x100m squad following
the inavailability of Roslan Saat, who is nursing a hamstring
injury.
Hilaire said that whether Hamdi would see action in the relay
would depend on his form.
Hamdi is down to run in the 110m hurdles on the opening day of
the athletics programme tomorrow. The 4x100m will be held two days
later.
"Sugang has been impressive over the last week. He is as ready as
Hamdi. Anything can happen within the next few days," said Hilaire.
At the Asian Track and Field Championships in September, Malaysia
fielded Azmi, Watson, Mohamed Sad and Sugang. The quartet set a new
national record of 40.09 in the semi-finals. Their poor baton
change, however, let them down in the final and the Malaysians only
managed fifth placing.
RELIEF AS EYE INFECTION IS UNDER CONTROL
THE viral infection of the eye, which has hit the Malaysian rugby
team, appears to have been contained.
Team manager Datuk Zaman Khan said yesterday no new cases were
reported over the last 24 hours.
"This is a good sign and we are keeping our fingers crossed that
everything will work out fine for us," said Zaman.
Six players, all of them defenders, were down with sore eyes.
Zafir Shafie, who did not fly with the team to Chiang Mai on
Wednesday, joined the team yesterday.
The other players who contracted the infection were Shahiran
Sahar, Hisham Hassan, Arfian Ibrahim, Khusainy Ishak and Jamaluddin
Abdul Rahman. All of them attended training yesterday.
Malaysia open their campaign in the 15-a-side against defending
champions Thailand today.
KUMARESAN SETS GOOD TIME
AND MAKES THE 4KM PURSUIT
CYCLIST M. Kumaresan is in the 4km individual pursuit.
The 28-year-old Kumaresan clocked an impressive 5:01.00 in a
time trial yesterday and coach Ng Joo Ngan was convinced he would
be a strong challenger to win a medal.
"Kumaresan's time is certainly encouraging. He is also feeling
more confident. I set him a target in the trial but he did better
than what was expected," said Joo Ngan, who had wanted Kumaresan to
clock 5:05.
Kumaresan, who is ranked among the top cyclists in Asia, had
apprehensions about competing in the race because he has not been
actively involved in track events for some time.
The Asian Championships' silver medallist has a personal best of
4:57.00, his winning time in the 1989 SEA Games at the Velodrome
Rakyat in Ipoh.
However, Joo Ngan will not put pressure on Kumaresan to deliver
in the race.
"He also has to compete in the road races and he is determined to
do well. He is a experienced cyclist and knows what he is getting
into. I'm confident he will rise to the occasion," said Joo Ngan.
Sharulneeza Razali, Malaysia's second representative for the 4km
time trial, has decided to opt out to concentrate on the road
races.
Shahrulneeza, who was voted as the 1994 Selangor Sportsman of
the Year, will compete in the 50km time trial, 100km team time
trial and the 153km individual road races.
Joo Ngan added that the route for the road races suited
Malaysia. The cyclists had a three-hour session on the route
yesterday.
"We are now working on the cyclists' speed and I'm confident
that they will be ready for the task on competition day," said Joo
Ngan.
PITCH A BANE FOR HOCKEY TEAM
THE poor ground condition at the Maejo Institute of Agriculture
Technology is not condusive for good hockey.
But Malaysian women's hockey coach Michael Engelblik said that
his team were ready for all contingencies.
"We have done our homework in Kuala Lumpur. The girls are
prepared for anything," said Engelblik.
He added: "There is nothing much we can do here.
"It is no point training for three hours everyday to try to
adapt to the ground conditions.
"The best form of training we can do now is to gear up the
players mentally for the challenges ahead."
Malaysia will open their campaign in the four-team round-robin
preliminary round against Thailand tomorrow.
The other teams in the competition are Brunei and defending
champions Singapore.
Engelblik said he would be relying on four seniors to guide the
basically young team. They are skipper Rosmimi Jamalani, goalkeeper
Gan Lai Ling, D. Devaleela and Nelfianty Mohamed.
Engelblik, who took the squad to Holland for a playing tour in
August, added he would be employing the 4-3-3 system instead of the
"outdated 4-4-2 style".
HEAVIER RESPONSIBILITY AHEAD FOR KIM HOCK
YAP Kim Hock will likely have to shoulder a heavier responsibility
to keep his partnership going with Cheah Soon Kit in the badminton
competition.
Soon Kit is carrying a knee injury, which he aggravated during
the pair's successful run in the World Grand Prix Finals in
Singapore last week.
Coach Razif Sidek said yesterday: "Soon Kit actually picked up
the injury at the Thailand Open last month.
"He is not bothered much by it but I'm worried that he might not
be able to pull through if the matches get long and gruelling."
He added that the injury acts up when the 27-year-old national
captain exerted himself.
Yesterday, Soon Kit had to stop midway through his morning jog
after experiencing pain in the knee.
"As it is Kim Hock has been the target of opponents because of
his relative inexperience compared to Soon Kit.
"Now, he may have to do more covering for Soon Kit besides
fending off attacks," said Razif.
However, the national coach is confident that Kim Hock will rise
to the occasion.
"The same thing happened at the World GP Finals. The Indonesians
attacked him relentlessly but Kim Hock kept his cool and played
exceptionally well," said Razif.
In Singapore, Soon Kit-Kim Hock defeated Gunawan-Bambang
Suprianto for their first World GP Finals.
"The victory is a big boost and they are hungry for more success.
"I doubt one little injury will stop them," said Razif.
He now wants Soon Kit-Kim Hock to go all out in the team
competition, where Indonesia are the overwhelming favourites.
"The team event is important to us although Soon Kit-Kim Hock
look the better bet for the men's doubles gold.
"Even if we are 0-3 down, we will still ask them to fight to the
end," said Razif.
The SEA Games format, unlike the Thomas Cup, will have three
singles matches before the two doubles pairs take to the court.
"If Rashid (Sidek) can give us one point in the singles, we have
a good chance to upstage the Indonesians," said Razif.
He added that both the Malaysian doubles pairs were capable of
beating their Indonesian opponents.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock are expected to play against Ricky Subagja-Rexy
Mainaky while Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her are down to play against
Denny Kantono-Antonius.
Razif, however, revealed that he was worried about Beng Kiang's
form.
Beng Kiang took a one-week break from training recently to attend
his grandmother's funeral.
"Beng Kiang only resumed training yesterday.
"I hope he will be able to peak in time for the SEA Games," said
Razif.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* SOCCER: Bar team from future games (Commentary)
* SOCCER: On the take?
* WOMEN's SOCCER: Women footballers put men to shame
* BADMINTON: Rashid's out to keep unbeaten streak in games
* BADMINTON: Pang Chen could be Malaysian trump card
* BASKETBALL: Lester: We can beat Thais and Indons
* SEPAKTAKRAW: Ming games on court
BAR TEAM FROM FUTURE GAMES
Commentary
___________________________________
THE Malaysian football team must be barred from competing in the
next SEA Games unless they can prove their worth.
As representatives of the most popular sport in the country,
they have hurt millions of Malaysians by their shoddy performance
in Chiang Mai.
It was the third consecutive Games in which they have
disappointed the nation by failing to qualify for the semifinals.
At the last two Games in Manila and Singapore, Malaysia failed
to make the play-off for medals because the team lacked commitment.
For these Games, and in the assessment of the 0-2 defeat by
Vietnam in the opening match by former Malaysian coach Karl
Weigang, they performed as though they did not know how to play
football.
Coach Claude Le Roy admitted making a tactical blunder in his
defensive line-up which resulted in the defeat by the
Weigang-trained Vietnam.
Team manager Datuk Bakar Daud blamed it on poor selection after
the team was outplayed 0-3 by Indonesia, a result that ended their
chase for a medal.
In the professional game today, there is no excuse for making
tactical blunders or making poor selections. A coach who makes such
blunders ought to get the boot -- and immediately.
The Malaysian team had only two seasoned campaigners -- skipper
Zainal Abidin Hassan and Dollah Salleh. The other players were
relatively untested players in international competition.
It appears as though the team for this Games is one that is
being prepared for future assignments, including the pre-Asian Cup
in April.
But the SEA Games competition is a battle for medals and the FA
of Malaysia (FAM) must realise this. It is not a competition in
which to experiment with players.
To be realistic, if this team cannot make it to the semifinals
of the SEA Games, they will fare even worse in tougher assignments.
A team not up to a certain standard is better off staying out.
Now that Malaysia are out of the Games, the process of
rebuilding a team to give a strong challenge in the next series can
begin.
And the man who likes to experiment, Claude Le Roy, can begin
with the match against Cambodia tonight.
Le Roy can experiment with goalkeeper Mudzar Mohamed playing in
attack or midfielder Yap Wai Loon playing in goal for all he wants.
A defeat by Cambodia won't be a surprise anymore. After all,
Malaysia were beaten by the Philippines in 1991 when they failed to
qualify for the semifinals for the first time.
Malaysia have gone from being a traditional football powerhouse
to just making up the numbers.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) can do all football fans a
big favour by barring the national team from the next SEA Games if
they are not up to standard.
ON THE TAKE?
Khir: Some football players were bribed
SEVERAL members of the Malaysian football team at the SEA Games are
suspected to be on the take, chef-de-mission Tan Sri Khir Johari
said last night.
He called on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the
relevant enforcement authorities back home to conduct a thorough
investigation into the team as he strongly believed there were
sufficient grounds to question the national side.
"Reliable independent sources revealed to me that players are on
the take," he said.
Asked how reliable his sources were, Khir replied: "They are
completely independent and trusted members."
Pressed for further details, the deputy president of the Olympic
Council of Malaysia (OCM) refused to elaborate.
In the opening match on Monday, the team lost 0-2 to
inexperienced Vietnam and played to a scoreless draw with hosts
Thailand on Wednesday. Malaysia lost 0-3 to Indonesia on Friday.
Khir, claiming that the Malaysian public was not accepting the
team's results in the Games here, said coach Claude Le Roy should
not be given a free hand to deal with the team.
"The public back home does not want Le Roy to be the coach. I
don't want to intervene in the tactical aspect of the game but we
must be responsible to the Malaysian people," Khir said.
Le Roy was not available for comment.
Malaysia will complete the Group A preliminary round match
against Cambodia here tomorrow.
The national football team has been plagued by allegations of
match-fixing and corruption since the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games
and more than 100 local players have been hauled up by the police
for questioning since then.
More than 30 players confessed to match-fixing and corruption in
the domestic professional league and were subsequently banished to
remote areas under the Restricted Residence Act. -- Bernama
WOMEN FOOTBALLERS PUT THE MEN TO SHAME
They beat Singapore 2-0 to keep alive final hopes
THE Malaysian women footballers, in the SEA Games for the first
time, put their male counterparts to shame yesterday when they beat
Singapore 2-0 in a hard-fought match.
Now, they only need a draw from their last preliminary round
match against the Philippines to get a second crack at Thailand --
and the gold medal.
At Sanpatong yesterday, the Malaysians snatched their second
win, which put them second in the table with six points.
The Philippines are in third spot with four points. The
Filipinas may squeeze into the final if they beat Malaysia.
Thailand are through to the final unbeaten. They wrapped up
their fixtures with a 3-3 draw with Myanmar yesterday.
Yesterday, Malaysia's skipper Beatrice Yaw and striker Popoi
Lansiew scored a goal each to keep alive Malaysia's hopes of
avenging the 0-1 defeat by Thailand in their opening match.
The score did not underline Malaysia's superiority. Had the
forwards been sharper, Singapore would have been thrashed.
Malaysia went on the offensive from the start and their
aggressiveness paid off in the 13th minute. Norasiah Ishak played a
pass to Beatrice, who hit the ball home from outside the box.
The Singapore girls were hardly in the match but were lucky not
to fall further behind.
They were, however, better organised in the second half but
found Malaysia's goalkeeper Pelitah Endiu a stumbling block.
Malaysia got their second goal in the 57th minute, when Popoi
capitalised on a missed catch by goalkeeper Devi Govindasamy.
The hardworking Hanjilin Tindil broke loose and Devi failed to
field the cross cleanly. Popoi rushed in to slam the ball in.
Malaysian coach M. Sivam hoped his team would not underestimate
the Philippines in the crucial match on Monday.
"I have told the girls not to think about the final yet. They
still have the match against the Philippines and they have to
concentrate on it," said Sivam.
"I am confident the girls will make the final. But we cannot
risk going in to play for a draw. We have to go for the kill in our
last match."
Malaysia: Pelitah Endiu, Nor Abidah Sadon, Ruzina Jacub, Haineh
Liem, Nortinah Ongkalis, Laini Ahing, Beatrice Yaw, Norasiah Ishak,
Norhaliza Abdul Rahman (Shemei Chong), Popoi Lansiew, Hanjilin
Tindil.
Singapore: Devi Govindasamy, Sabariah Zain, Rohani Samin,
Halimahton Rahman, Noraminah Saharom (Caroline Teo), Michelle Lee,
Goh Lay Nah, Faradibah Jumaat, Sharifah Othman, Hamimah Othman,
Rabiah Mat.
RASHID OUT TO KEEP UNBEATEN STREAK IN GAMES
RASHID Sidek holds an unbeaten record in the SEA Games badminton
team event.
And the 27-year-old national number one has a feeling that it
will remain so in Chiang Mai.
In 1989 and 1991, Rashid played a key role in helping Malaysia
beat Indonesia in the team final. He missed the last Games because
of an injury and Malaysia lost to the Indonesians.
"We are a bunch of fighters. Indonesia are not going to have it
their way again," Rashid said after a training session yesterday.
He said his teammates would be looking to him to deliver the
first point and he was ready to meet the challenge.
"I have been in this position before. Getting the first point is
always crucial," Rashid said.
In the Thomas Cup Final against Indonesia in Jakarta last year,
Rashid was outplayed by Hariyanto Arbi in the first match and
Malaysia went on to lose the tie 0-3 and the Cup, which they won in
1992 after a 25-year lapse.
"It is a tough job but I know a good start will give the others
a boost to play harder than they ever did," Rashid said.
He added that it would be good for Malaysian badminton if they
could regain the advantage over Indonesia by winning the Games gold
medal.
Rashid, however, has an uphill task ahead of him in Chiang Mai.
He will have to beat Joko Suprianto, a player he has not beaten in
the last two years, in the first singles.
"Joko is playing very well now. Although he is older than me, he
has maintained his game," Rashid said.
However, he added that he had gained a lot of confidence after
his win over of Hariyanto at the World GP Finals last week.
"Anything can happen. Just like Joko beating Ardy (Wiranata) for
the first time at the GP Finals," Rashid said.
Rashid is on a double mission in Chiang Mai. He is also out to
put an end to his defeat by Indonesians in the individual events.
He lost to Eddy Kurniawan and Joko respectively in 1989 and 1993
to end up with the bronze medal. This year he is tipped to meet
Ardy in the semifinals.
"I lost to Ardy in the GP Finals. I am mentally prepared to take
him on," Rashid said.
PANG CHEN COULD BE MALAYSIAN TRUMP CARD
A GREATLY improved Pang Chen may get his chance to play the hero in
the men's badminton team competition.
With the competition using the Thomas Cup format of alternating
the singles and doubles, the 23-year-old Pang Chen may have a big
job on his hands if the tie stands at two apiece.
Pang Chen may not be called to deliver the winning point in the
opening match against the Philippines today, nor is it likely to
happen when Malaysia play Thailand in the semifinals.
But against the Indonesians, there is a possibility that it may
happen.
National backup squad coach Kwan Yoke Meng was in that sort of a
position at the Beijing Asian Games in 1990. Yoke Meng was not
given a ghost of a chance to beat Hermawan Susanto in the deciding
tie.
Hermawan was holding match point but Yoke Meng came back from
the brink to clinch the winning point for Malaysia.
Pang Chen is also unlikely to be expected to deliver if the tie
reaches the same stage in Chiang Mai.
Ironically, the 1992 national champion would be up against
Hermawan in the crucial third singles.
Singles coach Misbun Sidek believes Pang Chen has the ability to
make the grade.
"He has beaten some top players lately and with the right mental
approach he will deliver," Misbun said.
LESTER: WE CAN BEAT THAIS AND INDONS
MALAYSIAN basketball coach Brian Lester liked what he saw in the
match between Thailand and Indonesia yesterday.
Thailand beat Indonesia 94-61 in a heated match that saw
Apaipong Netsiriswan and Ferry Rinaldo Sinaga being sacked for
fighting. But that was hardly what caught Lester's eye.
Instead, the Australian saw enough of the two teams to
confidently say that Malaysia would beat them both in the
round-robin competition.
"We know exactly how we are going to contain them," he said.
Malaysia, who were convincing 116-32 winners over Laos in their
first match yesterday, will play against Indonesia tomorrow.
"The Indonesians are capable of better than what they showed
today. Many of the close calls went for Thailand today," Lester
said.
Against the Indonesians, he added, a good pressure/defence game
would work. The game plan against the Thais was simpler.
"Stop Shonghop (Phairotepiraphaisan) and they are out of the
game," Lester said.
The towering Shonghop, who plays as the centre, is the Thai
playmaker. Thailand's successful offensive game against the
Indonesians yesterday was centred around the experienced 1.93m
cager.
"He is the force behind the team and plays an intelligent game,"
said Lester, who also named Sivanut Srivunjung as another key
player in the Thai side.
"We have yet to see how strong the Filipinos actually are. Based
on what I have seen so far, we should make the final."
In the match against Laos, Lester tested all his 12 players.
"I wanted them to get the feel of the competition. But I must
admit that some of them were rather sluggish."
He was also concerned about the scrappy defence in the second
half.
"Teo Poh Chye, Tan Kee Hian and Wong Tai Ong did not play for
long and thus were not able to exert much influence. But this is
nothing to worry about.
"The reserves, especially Teh Choon Yean, were excellent in
their shooting."
MIND GAMES ON COURT
Rivals Thailand and Malaysia don't want to show their cards
THE mind game continues between the Thai and Malaysian sepaktakraw
teams.
Thailand eased past Laos 3-0 while a nervous Malaysia defeated
Indonesia by the same margin in their opening ties yesterday. But
neither team displayed their true capabilities for fear of
revealing too much to the opposition.
"Every little thing is crucial to us. We have to be just as
secretive about our tactics as the Thais," national coach Suaid
Osman said.
He managed to catch a glimpse of the Thais in action yesterday
and found them playing at half pace.
"They were just toying with Laos. But their fast service is
their weapon," Suaid observed.
He said the physcological battle between Malaysia and Thailand
had only just begun.
"Our match against the Thais starts even before we take to the
court. How we outmanouevre each other over the next few days will
decide the winner," Suaid added.
Malaysia, he noted, must be mentally strong to counter the
Thais' mind games and not fall into their trap.
"They have done this before -- pretending to have flaws in their
game in the preliminary rounds but transforming into killer
machines in the final.
"But we can play mind games as well and they are aware of it
too."
Suaid, however, was more concerned about the team's lethargic
performance against the Indonesians.
"The Indonesians are a strong side but we appeared to be weak in
defence. We have to rectify this soon."
He singled out killer Zabidi Shariff, who needed to polish up in
his defensive blocks.
Playing in the first regu, Zabidi was unable to stop almost any
of the Indonesians' attacks. But he made up for this weakness with
his killer smashes.
The regu of Ahmad Jais Baharum, Zabidi and Suhaimi Yusof
overcame a slow start to beat B. Baharuddin, Jabiruddin and
Rasiwan 15-10, 15-0 for Malaysia's first point.
The second regu of Suhaimi Abdul Rahman, Ismail Amir and
Khairulnizam Mohamed Jidin picked up a 15-6, 15-12 win over G.
Baharuddin, Irwansyah and Arman Yornes.
The third regu match was of academic interest but Zaini Mohamed
Said, Saiful Bahari Abu Bakar and Awaluddin Abdul Hamid struggled
for a 9-15, 18-13, 15-7 win over Afrianto, Saharuddin and Yusri
Pakke.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* BILLIARDS: Crash, roll and gold
* BADMINTON: Malaysia-Thailand tie a rehersal for Thomas Cup qualifiers
CRASH, ROLL AND GOLD
Ann Seng recovers from accident to win doubles
A MOTOR-CYCLE accident three weeks ago almost cost him a place in
the Malaysian billiards squad. But last night Ng Ann Seng combined
well with Liew Kit Fatt to give Malaysia the 15-ball rotation
doubles gold medal.
Ann Seng, who dislocated his left shoulder in the accident, and
Kit Fatt defeated teammates Sam Chong and Patrick Wee 6-4 in the
best of 11-frame final.
Team manager Wales Tan said yesterday that they expected at
least one team to make the final but the success of both teams was
a surprise.
"We almost dropped Ann Seng from the squad as he was still
feeling pain in the right shoulder when we reported for the final
phase of training two weeks ago week," said Wales.
"We wanted to drop him but he requested an extension of two days
to prove himself. I am glad we agreed to give him the chance," said
Wales.
Ann Seng said he was determined to make the cut for the Games
even after the accident. "I never gave up the thought of playing
here," said the 35-year-old.
It was the first time that Ann Seng and Kit Fatt have partnered
each other.
"It was also my first success in an international competition
this year," said Ann Seng, who was a member of the team 9-ball
rotation gold medal winning team two years ago.
In the best of nine frame semi-finals Ann Seng-Kit Fatt defeated
Indonesians William-Hadi Surgio 5-0 while Sam Chong-Patrick
defeated Filipinos Jover-Benjamin 5-3.
MALAYSIA-THAILAND TIE
A REHEARSAL FOR THOMAS CUP QUALIFIERS
MALAYSIA'S semi-final tie against Thailand today will be a
rehearsal for the Thomas Cup badminton qualifying rounds in
Auckland in February.
Coach Razif Sidek admitted that with China and South Korea
looking strong, Malaysian may have to fight it out with Thailand
for the third qualifying slot from the Asian Zone.
Last night, Malaysia trounced the Philippines 5-0 while Thailand
strolled past Brunei by the same margin to set up the semi-final
meeting.
"They have two strong doubles pairs and a dangerous third singles
player. Although on paper we are the favourites, Thailand can spoil
our plans both in the Games and Thomas Cup," said Razif.
He added that he wanted to retain the Games squad for the Thomas
Cup campaign.
"The only change may be in the third and reserve singles
players," said Razif.
For the third singles, Razif plans to hold special trials.
He said the standard among Pang Chen, Mohamed Roslin Hashim, Yong
Hock Kin, Ismail Samad and Lo Ah Heng was almost the same.
"It's best to hold trials and pick the players based on their
current form for the Thomas Cup," said Razif.
He added that the only confirmed players for the Thomas Cup
campaign were Rashid Sidek, Ong Ewe Hock and the doubles pairs of
Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock and Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her.
"There is also a possibility of dropping the singles reserve and
opting for a third doubles pair, like we did in 1990," said Razif.
He added that Malaysia needed an emphatic win over Thailand today
to show their superiority.
"This is also the chance for Pang Chen to show that he has come
of age," said Razif.
Pang Chen will be up against Teeranun Chiangta in the third
singles.
"Both their doubles are balanced although we still hold the edge.
Of the two pairs, Pramote (Teerawiwatana)-Sakrapee (Thongsari) are
the more dangerous," said Razif.
Pramote-Sakrapee defeated Soon Kit-Kim Hock in the semi-finals of
the Malaysian Open this year.
In the women's inter-team competition, Malaysia defeated the
Philippines 5-0 margin and will take the bronze medal. They are not
up to the mark to beat Uber Cup champions Indonesia in the
semi-finals today.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* ATHLETICS: Gritty Mogan wins the day
* ATHLETICS: Watson limps out and Azmi slows down in 200m
* BADMINTON: Indon fear our shuttlers as a team
* BASKETBALL: Indons spoil Lester's plans
* BOWLING: Sharon owes it to teammates for record win
* BASKETBALL: Julie punishes our cagers
* SOCCER: Disastrous international debut for keeper Muadzar
* SOCCER: Ler Roy's contract to be reviewed
* SHOOTING: Bad aim for shooters
* SWIMMING: Anthony flies to gold
* WOMEN'S SOCCER: No payoff but big playoff
GRITTY MOGAN WINS THE DAY
YOUNGSTER R. Mogan walked the race of his life yesterday morning.
The 21-year-old Mogan punished his body and pushed himself
beyond the limit to win the 10km gold medal in a Games and national
record time.
Mogan fought a gruelling battle with teammate G. Saravanan and
Myanmar's Myint Thay before crossing the line in 43:34.01 to erase
the previous record of 44:50.39 set by Malaysian S. Karunanithi at
the 1991 Manila Games.
The winning time was also faster than his own national record of
44:16.36.
After completing the 25-lap race, Mogan raised his hands. And
collapsed.
Coach V. Subramaniam rushed to Mogan's aid. The walker lay on
the track, writhing in pain and vomiting. He had to be carried out
in a stretcher to the medical room where oxygen was administered.
It took about 20 minutes for Mogan to come to his senses and
there were tears of joy in his eyes.
"I have done it. It's the most memorable day in my athletics
career. I was determined to win. I had difficulty breathing when I
crossed the finish line," said Mogan.
It was indeed a courageous effort by Mogan, who raced despite
having a bout of flu.
The race started at a fast pace with Myint Thay taking the lead.
Both Saravanan and Mogan were hot on the Myanmar's heels. But in
the 20th lap, Mogan decided to break away.
Mogan later paid tribute to Saravanan for playing a key role in
his win.
"At the 20th lap, he advised me to take the lead and said he
would check Myint Thay. If not for his support, I don't think I
could have won the gold," said Mogan, a Maybank clerk in Seremban.
Myint Htay finished second in a time of 43:42.24 while G.
Saravanan, who was four seconds slower, finished third.
Saravanan was happy with the result, which was his personal
best.
"Mogan is the better 10,000m walker and he had it in him to win
the gold. That was why I told him to break away," Saravanan said.
WATSON LIMPS OUT AND AZMI SLOWS DOWN IN 200M
SPRINTER Azmi Ibrahim was more concerned about Malaysia's chances
in the 4x100m when he saw compatriot Watson Nyambek pulling up lame
during the 200m final at the Main Stadium here yesterday.
Azmi, who was in the next lane, said that, for a moment, he lost
concentration and his momentum went with it.
He finished third in a time of 21.36. Thailand made a 1-2 finish
with Reanchai Seehawong taking the gold 20.96 followed by Aktawat
Sakulchan in 21.15.
"He was leading the pack and I was shocked to see him pulling
up. I thought about our 4x100m race tomorrow and our hopes of
winning the gold in the relay going bust," Azmi said.
"That affected my run but I managed to pick up steam and win a
medal."
Azmi added that he was satisfied with the bronze and it boosted
his confidence for the 100m on Thursday.
"My target is the 100m gold and I think I'm on the right track,"
Azmi said.
Watson shot off the blocks like a bullet. He maintained his lead
but at the top of the straight, pulled up and sat on the track.
The Sarawakian, who suffered a hamstring pull, said he felt a
sudden pull near the knee.
He was quickly rushed to the stadium's medical centre and was
attended to by National Sports Council's physiotherapist Zulkifli
Samah and coach Daniel St Hilaire.
Hilaire said Watson's injury was not serious but he would wait
until today to decided whether to send the sprinter in for the
relay.
"I will decide tomorrow. Let's hope nothing is serious," Hilaire
said.
Watson is eager to be part of the relay team.
"I want to help Malaysia win the gold medal. I hope they will
give me the green light," he said.
In other races involving Malaysians today, S. Vasu and R. Nanda
Kumar qualified for today's 800m final by finishing second in their
respective semifinals.
INDONS FEAR OUR SHUTTLERS AS A TEAM
DEFENDING champions Indonesia see a threat from Malaysia in the
men's inter-team badminton final today.
Both Indonesia and Malaysia picked up identical 5-0 wins over
Myanmar and Thailand respectively in the semifinals yesterday.
Indonesian coach Indra Gunawan said the favourite tag may amount
to nothing in the final.
"We have several players who are not proven team players. If
these players crumble, we may see an upset," Gunawan said
yesterday.
"The only way I see an easy day for us is if we take a 2-0 lead.
We must finish the tie in the first three matches," Gunawan added.
Indonesia defeated Malaysia 3-0 in The Thomas Cup last year. But
their previous defeats in the Thomas Cup and the SEA Games went
Malaysia's way when they failed to win the first singles or the
first doubles.
"The moment we give away an early point, the Malaysians will be
a transformed side. We have to kill them off early," Gunawan said.
Malaysian coach Razif Sidek is also expecting a point from the
first two matches to put the pressure on the Indonesians.
"The team event is always a different ball game. We have
successfully exploited it to our advantage many times in the past.
There is no reason for not doing it again," Razif said.
The women's team final will pit Indonesia against Thailand.
Indonesia beat Malaysia 5-0 while the Thais downed Singapore by the
same margin in the semi-finals.
RESULTS
Malaysia 5 Thailand 0 (Rashid Sidek bt Kitipon Kitikul 15-3, 15-1;
Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock bt Pramote Teerawiwatana-Sakrapee
Thongsari 15-4, 15-6; Ong Ewe Hock bt Apichai Teerarasakul 15-3,
15-6; Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her bt Siripong Siripol-Khunakorn
Sudhisodhi 15-13, 15-6; Pang Chen bt Teeranun Chiangta 17-14, 9-4,
ret).
INDONS SPOIL LESTER'S PLANS
INDONESIA spoiled the plans of Malaysian coach Brian Lester with an
86-81 victory in extra time at the Gymnasium I yesterday.
Lester was confident that his side would defeat the Indonesians
and had wanted to take it easy in their match against favourites
the Philippines today.
"I was expecting to take it easy against the Philippines and go
all out against Thailand in our last preliminary round match. Now
we have to change our plans," said a disappointed Lester.
The Indonesians led 37-36 at half time and both teams were tied
at 73 at the stroke of full time.
Like the national women cagers earlier, the men also crumbled in
extra time. The Malaysians, who found it difficult to contain the
lanky Indonesians, finally succumbed to the better shooting of
their opponents.
"We have no choice but to give our best against the Philippines.
It is a tough job but not impossible," Lester said.
The Australian rates the Philippines as the best team in the
competition.
"There is not one player in the team who is weak. Each one of
them is skilful and talented," Lester said.
The Philippines are gunning for teir fourth consecutive gold
medal.
Another defeat will almost certainly put the Malaysians out of
the race for medals.
"We cannot afford to make the mistakes we did today. We must
play a full-court offensive game if we are to stop them," Lester
said.
Yesterday, Lester used Tan Kee Hian as the forward but he may
now have to bring the speedy cager back to his familiar place as
point guard.
"We have not decided how the team is going to play yet. There is
a lot of homework to be done tonight," he said.
Lester is also hoping for the burly Wong Tai Ong to play a more
physical game today.
The Malaysians were also sorely let down by their lack of
co-ordination.
"I had always maintained that the Indonesians were dangerous and
they proved it today. They took advantage of our uncertainty inside
the perimeter."
SHARON OWES IT TO TEAMMATES FOR RECORD WIN
BOWLER Sharon Low was quick to thank her teammates for lending her
a big helping hand in winning the women's singles gold medal at the
Star Bowl in Rayong yesterday.
The 24-year-old Sharon was bubbling with joy. She set two Games
records in winning her first individual SEA Games gold medal.
"I have to thank Shalin (Zulkifli), Karen (Lian) and Lydia
(Kwah) for this victory. They cheered me all the way to victory. I
am very excited about this win," Sharon said.
Sharon also used the opportunity to thank SportExcel for giving
her the grant to strive for excellence.
To show her appreciation for her teammates, Sharon treated them
to dinner last night.
Sharon was in fine form in a close fight with Thailand's
Supaporn Chuanprasertkit. But in the end, Sharon scored 1,302
points to win by nine pinfalls.
Another Thai, Phetchara Kaewsuk took the bronze medal.
Sharon's total over six games erased the previous record of
1,239 held by Malaysia's Pearly Chong since 1987. She also posted a
274 to beat the old record of 266.
Sharon will compete in the doubles today but coach Sid Allen has
yet to decide on her partner.
"I hope to continue my winning streak in the Games," said
Sharon, a member of the team of five who won the gold in the last
Games in Singapore.
JULIE PUNISHES OUR CAGERS
FILIPINA Julie Amos almost single-handedly destroyed Malaysia's
hopes of an upset win in the women's basketball event yesterday.
Malaysia, who were hoping to upstage the Philippines to brighten
their chances of qualifying for the final, squandered a healthy
39-23 half-time lead and lost 79-81 in extra time.
Julie, who had a quiet game in the first half, came alive in the
second and punished the anxious Malaysian side with her excellent
three-point shooting.
Despite the defeat, national team manager Tan See Wah is
optimistic about the team's chances of making it to the final.
"We were just unlucky today. We could have won but the girls
crumbled under pressure," Tan said.
He added that they had no choice but to beat defending champions
Thailand in their last preliminary round match on Thursday.
"We should beat Indonesia tomorrow and prepare for the do-or-die
battle against Thailand."
He added that the Thais were strong but not unbeatable. Malaysia
lost by 19 points at the SEABA Championships.
Tan, who had asked his players to get more physical for the
game, added that his players were still not doing it.
"Today, the Philippines played very physically and we got
rattled," he lamented.
The Philippines were headed for victory until the closing stages
when Malaysia staged a gallant fightback. Malaysia forced extra
time when Lay Koon Ong sank the basket to tie the score at 72-72.
However, they failed to gain the momentum in extra time and
allowed the Philippines to walk away the winners.
"Nothing is lost yet. We can still dream of regaining the gold
medal," Tan said.
DISASTROUS INTERNATIONAL
DEBUT FOR KEEPER MUADZAR
CHIANG Mai was a joyful tale turned into a nightmare for goalkeeper
Muadzar Mohamed.
He came to the Games in high spirits for his first international
assignment but will return home wishing the memories of the Games
would go away.
The men's football team are the disgrace of the Malaysian
contingent. They gave inept performances and, for the third
consecutive Games, failed to qualify for the semifinals.
Muadzar did not hide his disappointment with coach Claude Le Roy
for making a tactical blunder in the line-up in the opening match
against Vietnam, which Malaysia lost 0-2.
That defeat effectively sank the Malaysian ship. Malaysia drew
0-0 with defending champions Thailand and a 0-3 defeat by Indonesia
put paid to their bid to get into the playoff for medals.
"A sweeper would have made a difference in our game (against
Vietnam). But I just don't understand why the coach didn't choose
to field one. It was a bad tactical mistake," Muadzar said
yesterday.
"After Zainal (Abidin Hassan) was moved down from his original
position as striker, things were more organised in defence. We
played better against the Thais.
"It is a sad start to my international career. I had come a long
way to get into the national team and had hoped that we would
return with respectable results. But it turned out to be a flop."
Malaysia hit nine goals past Cambodia but that match was of no
interest to anyone.
For the 30-year-old Muadzar, it was indeed a painful
international debut, considering that he took him five years to
break out of the shadow of Khairul Azman to get the chance to prove
himself as a goalkeeper.
Muadzar only became first-choice goalkeeper for Pahang this
season and he did enough to earn a national call-up.
His most dramatic moment was in the Malaysia Cup semifinal match
against Sabah. He saved two penalty kicks in a shootout and Pahang
qualified for the final. But Pahang were beaten by Selangor 1-0 in
sudden-death extra time.
LE ROY'S CONTRACT TO BE REVIEWED
By Nik Naizi Husin
___________________________________
KUANTAN: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) may review the contract of
national football coach Claude Le Roy following the team's poor
performance in Chiang Mai.
"This is the third time we have failed to qualify for the
semifinals. Although the coach was given a free hand in team
selection, we have failed to see good results," said FAM deputy
president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
As such, he said, he would propose that Le Roy's position be
reviewed.
Meanwhile, team manager Datuk Bakar Daud said in Chiang Mai that
the coach would no longer have a free hand in team selection.
Bakar also announced that former international K. Gunalan, who
last played for the country in the 1993 SEA Games, would be
recalled for the Asian Cup qualifying round in March.
"From now on, Le Roy will no longer have full control over the
team. That does't mean we're interfering in his job. It's merely a
form of check and balance in the team."
Bakar said past experience had shown that the national team
performed better when foreign coaches worked hand in hand with the
local officials.
"That was what we did when Karl Weigang, Frank Lord, Trevor
Hartley and Ken Worden were the national coaches."
GETTING IT RIGHT FOR TAKRAW FINAL
Malaysia, Thailand score easy semifinal wins
MALAYSIA and Thailand continued to juggle with their regu
combinations in the team sepaktakraw competition yesterday and came
out 3-0 winners over Myanmar and Singapore respectively to book
their places in the semifinals.
In today's semifinals, Malaysia will take on Singapore while
Thailand will play against Indonesia.
But neither side is thinking of the semis. Thailand and Malaysia
are already looking forward to the final.
Malaysian team manager Syed Yazid Syed Abdan said yesterday they
had finally got the right combination for the no-holds-barred match
against Thailand.
"But the line-ups we fielded today may not be the ones who will
play against Thailand," Syed Yazid said.
Malaysia brought back the trio of Zaini Mohamed Said, Saiful
Bahari Abu Bakar and Awaluddin Abdul Hamid, who were rested in the
match against the Philippines on Sunday.
Syed Yazid added that the players were all geared up to play
against the Thais.
"They are eager to play Thailand and get it over with," he said.
Malaysia gave a pathetic display in the inter-team event in
Singapore two years ago and lost 0-3 to Thailand in the final.
"Although the Thais have been scoring easy wins over their
opponents in the preliminary rounds, we are not afraid of them,"
Syed Yazid said.
All three Thai regus picked up identical 15-2, 15-0 wins over
Singapore yesterday. They also fielded killer Kriengkrai Mutalai in
the third regu.
Like Malaysia, Thailand coach Kamol Tankimhong was hardly
worried about their semifinal opponents.
"This is a fight between Malaysia and Thailand. Nothing will
stop either team from making the final," Kamol said.
He added that past results might not be a good yardstick to
forecast the winners of the match.
"Even Malaysia must admit that they are getting nervous as the
final comes closer. Let's wait and see who can keep a cool head in
the final," Kamol said.
BAD AIM FROM SHOOTERS
Only a bronze from men's 50m free rifle team on second day
MALAYSIA had only a bronze to show from the men's 50m free rifle
team on the second day of the shooting competition.
Yesterday, Jasni Shaari's score of 1,128, Mohamed Sabki Mohamed
Din's 1,095 and Abdul Razak Mutalib's 1,117 gave Malaysia a total
of 3,352 points.
Thailand took the gold with a total of 3,400 points while the
Philippines were second with 3,389.
In the individual final, Jasni was fifth with 1,221.6 points and
Abdul Razak shot a 1,216.5 to finish last.
Emerito Conception of the Philippines won the individual gold
with a score of 1,238.4 while Samarn Jongsuk and Thanin Thaisilp of
Thailand won the silver and bronze with scores of 1,231.3 and
1,230.9 respectively.
Coach Szucsak Lazslo said Abdul Razak and Jasni only came under
his charge recently and they should improve with more exposure in
international competition.
The Hungarian, who was brought in by the National Sports Council
(NSC) to prepare the shooters for the 1998 Commonwealth Games,
added that Sabki was a newcomer but he should be able to catch up
fast with the others.
The women's 10m air pistol team shot blanks. Suriani Othman,
Tengku Nor Hanisah and Dorothy Woon Wei Ching scored a total of
1,069 points to finish last.
Vietnam took the gold with 1,106 points followed by Thailand
(1,097) and the Philippines (1,095).
None of the women qualified for the individual final. Tengku Nor
Hanisah missed the cut on countback against Theresa Cantida of the
Philippines. Both were tied on 367 points.
ANTHONY FLIES TO GOLD
ANTHONY Ang laid the ghost of the last Games to rest when he won
the 200m butterfly swimming event in a time of 2:05.34 last night.
Anthony, who finished seventh in the race in Singapore, swam a
tight race to beat Niti Inthrapichai of Thailand by just
four-tenths of a second.
Malaysia also won a silver medal through Elvin Chia in the 200m
breaststroke. Elvin clocked 2:23.70 and was a distant second behind
Thailand's ace Rattapong Sisisanont.
Anthony, who has a personal best of 2:04, swam a calculated race
to pip Niti. He was close behind the Thai at the turn for the final
50m but touched home just in front.
"I just wanted to go out there and give my best. The gold was
not on my mind when I jumped into the pool," said the 17-year-old
Anthony.
He was not disappointed about failing to lower the Games record
of 2:04.02 set by Indonesian Eric Burhain in 1989.
"The record was not important. It was not a race in which to go
for the time. I had to swim a strategic race to fight off Niti,"
said Anthony, who has just returned from a one-year training stint
in the United States.
Anthony is now gunning for a double. He is also down for the
100m butterfly today.
"It would be great to win the 100m butterfly as well. But it is
going to be tougher than this race," admitted Anthony, who was
sixth in the race two years ago.
Anthony has a personal best of 54.79, well inside Singaporean
Ang Peng Siong's 1989 record of 56 seconds.
"There are some very strong swimmers from Singapore, Indonesia
and Thailand. The shorter distance makes it that much tougher,"
said Anthony, who won six Sukma gold medals in Ipoh last year.
Anthony also took part in the 100m freestyle and he finished
seventh.
Elvin, who has also just returned from a stint in the United
States, said he only expected to win the silver.
"Rattapong is way ahead of the rest. I knew I could not beat
him. The silver will suffice for now," the Games debutant said.
Elvin, however, is hoping to upstage Rattapong in the 100m
breaststroke.
"There are three of us in the race with the same fastest time --
1:04. The other is Supapitat Suphmongkon. It will be a close race,"
Elvin said.
Tan Li Leng and Ho Hsu Ee failed to win medals in the 100m
butterfly and 100m breaststroke respectively. Li Leng and Hsu Ee
were seventh in their races.
NO PAYOFF BUT BIG PLAYOFF
Poor women's football team poised to win a medal
THEY begged their way to come to Chiang Mai. Now, they are just a
point away from winning at least the silver medal.
The women footballers, who were placed under Category B of
athletes for the Games, are set to become the first team to get
full reimbursement for their expenses from the Olympic Council of
Malaysia (OCM).
Ironically, it was the FA of Malaysia (FAM), who made the trip
possible for the women.
The FAM-pampered men's team are out of the running for medal but
the women are earning a measure of respect for Malaysian football.
Malaysia need only a draw against the Philippines at the Main
Stadium tonight to get a crack at the gold medal against Thailand.
A place in the final will give them a chance to avenge the 0-1
defeat by the Thais in the opening match last week.
Team manager Tunku Maziah Mukhtar said yesterday their mission
was not only to win the gold but also to gain the recognition which
they felt they deserved.
Tunku Maziah said Malaysia had the talent and potential to go
far but the lack of financial support prevented them from making
much headway.
"We are not asking for the sky. We just want a little
recognition for the development of the women's football in
Malaysia. There are so many avenues for us to tap talent," said
Tunku Maziah.
"We can start a football league. The factories are good areas
for us to start work. We need sponsors to get such a league going
to promote the sport."
Tunku Maziah felt sorry for her players because the Malaysian
Women's Football Association (MWFA) could offer them nothing for
their achievement and sacrifices.
Several of the players had to take no pay leave so they could
don national colours.
"I can't promise them any reward. But I have the confidence that
the fighting spirit of the girls will take them to the final.
"Making it in our first attempt is something to remember," said
Tunku Maziah.
Meanwhile, coaches M. Sivam and Richard Scully will not take any
chances and want the team to go for a win against the Philippines.
Malaysia will bank on Norhaliza Abdul Rahman, a strong striker
who has bulldozed her way to score two goals thus far.
Skipper Beatrice Yaw is another key player in the team and should
pose a big threat to the Philippines with her nippy runs and
dribbling skills.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* ATHLETICS: Send the bad boys home!
* ATHLETICS: Gold-less day in athletics
* ATHLETICS: Watson's all right
* ATHLETICS: Ramachandran wants to complete his 'collection'
* BADMINTON: Team gold to Indons again
* BASKETBALL: Men crash out but women stay in the hunt
* BILLIARDS: Promise of more golds
* BOWLING: Barren day for keglers
* CYCLING: Veteran Rosman wins silver --in hospital bed
* WOMEN'S SOCCER: Our girls' lethal weapon - fighting spirit
* SEPAKTAKRAW: Players show first sign of distress
* SQUASH: Kenneth upsets top seed for gold
* SHOOTING: Two golds from the sky
* SWIMMING: Butterfly King Anthony
SEND THE BAD BOYS HOME!
ATHLETICS team manager Abdul Rahman Said Alli has recommended to
the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) that shot putter Petira Ghani
and sprinter Mohamed Sad Arshad be sent home for misbehaving in the
Games Village.
Petira and Mohamed Sad are said to have thrown objects from
their fourth-floor apartment room at other Malaysian athletes
training below.
Petira was barred from taking part in yesterday's shot putt but
Mohamed Sad was allowed to run in the 4x100m.
Abdul Rahman said yesterday Mohamad Sad apologised and they
allowed him to take part because they did not want the other
members of the team to be affected by the folly of one person.
He added that Petira admitted to throwing a bottle while Mohamed
Sad hurled down a big rubbish bin.
"They said they were provoked by the noise made by the other
athletes. But they have no reason to throw objects that may hurt
someone," Abdul Rahman said.
"Mohamed Sad said he regretted his action and apologised. But
Petira showed no remorse and was not willing to apologise for his
actions. We had no choice but to bar him from competing today."
Abdul Rahman said that although Petira was a medal prospect,
they had to take action against him because misbehaviour among
athletes representing the country must not be condoned.
"It is a shameful act and they face further disciplinary action
from the MAAU (Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union) when they return
home," Abdul Rahman said.
Abdul Rahman added that the final decision on whether or not to
send Petira and Mohamed Sad home rested with the OCM.
"They are the ones in charge of booking flights for the
athletes. But we are not keen to have such athletes here. Our
action against them should be a lesson to the others," Abdul Rahman
said.
GOLD-LESS DAY IN ATHLETICS
Only three silvers for Malaysia on the third day
IT was a gold-less day for Malaysia in athletics but youngster S.
Vasu raised the biggest cheers with a gallant effort to win a
silver medal in the men's 800m at the Main Stadium yesterday.
The 20-year-old cried unashamedly after crossing the finishing
line -- he had posted an impressive 1:48.96, which is also a
personal best.
Malaysia won two other silver medals on the third day of the
athletics competition through shot putter Mohamed Nazar Abdul Rahim
and the men's 4x100m team.
Vasu's success, however, came with a dose of good luck. Leader
Ronachai Leephukeaw of Thailand tripped and fell close to the
finishing line as eventual winner and teammate Chern Srichudanu
overtook him.
If Ronachai had stayed on his feet, Vasu would probably have had
to settle for a bronze.
Chern clocked 1:48.48 and third-placed Phan Van Hoa of Vietnam
was timed at 1:49.86. Another Malaysian, R. Nanda Kumar, finished
fifth in 1:52.67.
Vasu, whose previous best was 1:51.24 clocked at the Asian Track
and Field Championships in Jakarta in September, said he had set
his sights on the gold medal.
"I was determined to win the event. It was a very fast race and
as the Vietnamese runner pulled away, the pack had to stay hot on
his heels," Vasu said.
The two-lap race started with Ronachai and Van Hoa in the lead.
Vasu and Nanda Kumar took turns to stretch the leaders.
After the first lap, Vasu shot ahead and kept pace with
Ronachai, Chern and Van Hoa. Vasu was in third place behind
Ronachai on the home stretch.
But Ronachai fell with about two metres to go and Chern pressed
home to win the race.
Mohamed Nazar lost the battle for the gold to Thailand's
Jittakorn Krasaeyan. Another Thai, Bancha Supanoj, took the bronze.
Mohamed Nazar was in front with the 16.31m putt in his first
attempt. But Jittakorn spoiled the party for Mohamed Nazar, putting
the iron to a new Games record of 16.37m in his last attempt.
"I just wish I had another throw," said a disappointed Mohamed
Nazar.
The Malaysian 4x100m quartet of Hamdi Jaafar, Mohamed Sad
Arshad, Azmi Ibrahim and Sugang Tumiran were a distant second to
Thailand.
They clocked 40.54 against the Thais' new Games record of 39.42.
The old record held by Thailand was 39.57 set at the 1989 Games in
Kuala Lumpur.
Middle distance runner K. Soloseeni qualified for tomorrow's
800m final by finishing third in her heats.
Today there will be no track and field events at the Main
Stadium. Only the men and women's marathon events will be held.
WATSON'S ALL RIGHT
SPRINTER Watson Nyambek is unlikely to lose his chance to bid for
the title of fastest man in South-East Asia tomorrow.
National Sports Council (NSC) medical unit leader Dr Ramlan Aziz
said yesterday Watson's hamstring pull, suffered in the 200m race
on Monday, was a mild one.
Watson was not fielded in the 4x100m team, which won the silver
medal yesterday.
"He needs a lot of rest and we are monitoring him closely. In
fact, we have brought him to a room next to the NSC secretariat. He
does not have to walk up stairs and is quite comfortable," Dr
Ramlan said.
"I prefer not to make any predictions about whether he will get
to run the 100m on Thursday. We have two more days and we will
assess his response to our treatment."
The stocky Watson led the pack in the 200m race but pulled up
lame at the top of the home straight.
Assistant team manager Mohamed Musa Noor Mohamed said they did
not field Watson in the relay because they did not want him to
aggravate the injury.
"We were not prepared to take any chances. We hope he will be
ready for action on Thursday. The 100m is so much more important
than the relay," Mohamed Musa said.
RAMACHANDRAN WANTS TO COMPLETE HIS 'COLLECTION'
LONG-DISTANCE ace M. Ramachandran wants to satisfy one more burning
desire before he quits.
Ramachandran has competed in every level of competition except
the Olympics. And he hopes to be there at Atlanta next year.
The winner of the country's first gold medal here has featured
in four SEA Games, the Asian Games in Hiroshima, Commonwealth Games
in Victoria and the World Championships in Stuttgart.
"The Olympiad is the highest level of competition in which an
athlete can take part. I feel sad when people ask me whether I have
competed in the Olympics. I hope I will be able to fulfil a dream
and do so next year.
"I'm already 28 and I don't think I will make it to the 2000
Olympics in Sydney. My best chance is the Atlanta Olympics. There
are about seven months more for me to qualify for the Olympics and
I am game to give it a shot," Ramachandran said.
Ramachandran has a personal best of 29:10.94 for the 10,000m and
he has to bring that timing down by 40 seconds to meet the
qualifying time of 28:30.00.
"I have to go faster by about two seconds in each lap. It will
not be easy but with a proper training programme and overseas
exposure, I am confident I can make it," Ramachandran said.
The pint-sized Ramachandran definitely has it in him to make the
cut. Despite taking part in a limited number of competitions,
Ramachandran is still the best long-distance runner in the region.
He won the 10,000m gold medal on Sunday in a new Games record.
Ramachandran clocked 29:49.79 to erase his own record of 30:05.09
set at the last Games in Singapore.
On Friday, Ramachandran will bid for his second gold medal in
the 5,000m. But he won't be going for a record. It is the gold
medal that matters.
TEAM GOLD TO INDONS AGAIN
INDONESIA maintained their team badminton supremacy over Malaysia
since wresting the Thomas Cup from us last year with a relatively
easy 4-1 win in the men's final at the Gymnasium III yesterday.
It was the second time since the Thomas Cup Final in Jakarta
that Malaysia have lost to Indonesia. Malaysia also lost in the
Asian Games in Hiroshima last year.
Ardy Wiranata clinched the winning point for Indonesia in the
tie to decide the gold medallists yesterday, when he defeated Ong
Ewe Hock 17-16, 15-5.
Steady Joko Suprianto started the Indon victory by capitalising
on Rashid Sidek's weak backhand. Joko, who has not lost to Rashid
for more than two years, won 15-9, 15-5 in 50 minutes.
World champions Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky put Indonesia two-up
by outclassing newly-crowned World Grand Prix champions Cheah Soon
Kit-Yap Kim Hock 15-4, 15-7 in just 37 minutes.
Ardy's 47-minute victory over Ewe Hock was arguably the best
match of the day.
Ewe Hock squandered a 14-11 lead in the first game, allowing
Ardy to save game point five times and taking the game.
In the second game, Ardy toyed with the fast tiring Ewe Hock
before sealing the match and tie for Indonesia.
At the Thomas Cup, Ardy also beat Ewe Hock to take the winning
third point for Indonesia.
In the last two matches, which no longer had any bearing on the
outcome of the tie, Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her beat Danny Kantono
and Antonius 18-16, 15-7 while in the final singles, Pang Chen lost
to Hermawan Susanto, 15-11, 7-15, 5-15.
National coach Razif Sidek conceded that the Indonesians were
the better team.
"They were simply too good in all departments. Nothing we did
went right today," Razif said.
Malaysia lost 0-5 to Indonesia at the last Games in Singapore.
MEN CRASH OUT BUT WOMEN STAY IN THE HUNT
MALAYSIA are out of the race for the men's basketball gold medal.
They crashed to their second defeat, going down 79-105 to the
Philippines, at the Gymnasium II yesterday.
Malaysia, who lost to Indonesia on Monday, found no answer to
overcome the defending champions. They can now at best finish with
the bronze medal.
Their last match in the preliminary round is against Thailand
today.
Coach Brian Lester said the team played a much better game than
they did against the Indonesians, who beat Malaysia 86-81 in
extra-time.
"I felt our boys played better in defence in the first 40
minutes. They held up very well against the much stronger Filipino
guards. They are much bigger and more skilful than our players,"
Lester said.
"But it is a good result for me. We may have a chance for the
bronze but it all depends on how the other teams fare in the
remaining matches."
The Malaysian women kept their hopes alive in the chase for the
gold medal with an 81-64 win over Indonesia yesterday.
Malaysia, who are expected to steamroll Myanmar today, must beat
defending champions Thailand in their last preliminary round match
to qualify for the final.
Malaysia's task of making the final was made difficult after
their 79-81 defeat by the Philippines on Monday.
National coach Tan See Wah is now hoping for the Indonesians to
do them a favour by beating the Philippines today.
The Philippines lost to Thailand 54-95 yesterday and another
defeat will put them out of the race.
"I know it is too much to ask from the Indonesians after just
beating them. But I am being optimistic," Tan said.
PROMISE OF MORE GOLDS
THE billiards and snooker players have been quick to pot their
two-gold target and will now shoot for more after the victory in
the team snooker event.
The first gold was delivered the night before by the 15-ball
rotation doubles combination of Ng Ann Seng and Liew Kit Fatt.
Yesterday, the Malaysians qualified for the 15-ball rotation
team final against Thailand.
The team also have two silver medals to show -- from Sam Chong
and Patrick Wee, who lost the rotation doubles to their teammates.
Ann Seng also let slip a golden chance to win the 15-ball
rotation singles on Monday night. He took a 4-1 lead in the final
against O-part Suwanrat but lost 5-6 in the end.
Team manager Wales Tan is more than glad his players have met
the target with four days of competition left.
"Any more golds from now will be a bonus. In fact, we could have
gone one-up on our target had Ann Seng kept his composure against
O-part," Tan said.
"Ann Seng was well on the road to victory but he allowed the
Thai to come back. With an element of luck, he could have made it a
grand night for us.
"There are eight more gold medals at stake. We will do our best
to try and win more honours."
Malaysia are down to compete in the snooker singles and doubles,
billiards singles and doubles, nine-ball singles, doubles and team
events.
BARREN DAY FOR KEGLERS
MALAYSIA's hope of repeating their record six-gold haul in bowling
at the last SEA Games took a bashing yesterday as doubles
specialists Ng Yiew Hup and Jimmy Lee fumbled at the Star Bowl in
Rayong.
The duo, gold medallists in the last SEA Games, knocked down
2,323 pins averaging 387 pinfalls over six games to finish 12th out
of 21 pairs.
The Thai pair of Jiparol Niyom and Kritchawat Jampakhaow emerged
champions with 2,511 pinfalls while Angelo Nathaniel and Paulo
Valdez of the Philippines won the silver and Singapore's Lim Chong
Heng and Goh Heng Soon took the bronze.
Azidi Ameran and Kenny Ang were the best Malaysian pair with
2,401 pinfalls to finish in 8th place while fellow Malaysians
Gerald Samuel and Allan Chia were in 10th place with 2,353
pinfalls.
Sharon Low, who sprang a surprise on Monday when she grabbed the
gold medal in the women's singles, ran out of steam in the doubles
yesterday, knocking down only 1,106 pins.
Sharon and partner Shalin Zulkifli finished seventh out of 15
pairs, with a combined score of 2,250, averaging 375 pinfalls.
The duo, who won the silver in the last games, were Malaysia's
best bet for gold. -- Bernama
VETERAN ROSMAN WINS SILVER -- IN HOSPITAL BED
VETERAN cyclist Rosman Alwi won the silver medal in the 200m sprint
but he was in hospital when the medal presentation ceremony was
held at the velodrome yesterday.
Rosman, who only turned 34 a week ago, fell off his bicycle and
collapsed just after the second heat of the semifinals and was
rushed to a nearby hospital.
Rosman had won the first heat against Nurochman, clocking 11.455
against the Indonesian's 12.936. He lost the second heat but
qualified for the final by default.
Malaysia protested against the Indonesian who pedalled out of
the perimeter and it was upheld. But Rosman was in hospital when
his name was called for the final.
With Rosman unable to contest the final against Sudrajat Andri,
the Indonesian took the gold medal without raising a sweat.
Rosman's father and coach Alwi Ahmad said Rosman twisted his
back and it was unfortunate that his son did not get to ride in the
final.
"I believe that he would have taken the gold medal easily," said
a disappointed Alwi.
"We spent so much time and money gearing up for this. Rosman
should not have pushed himself so hard as he was under no pressure
to win."
He added that Rosman had done sub-11-second timing in training
and if not for the injury would have picked up the gold without any
problem.
Malaysia failed to pick up another medal when Azrin Hazmi, who
was beaten by Sudrajat in the earlier semi-final, lost to Nurochman
in the challenge for the bronze medal.
Malaysia also lost out on the bronze in the 4,000m team pursuit.
In the semifinal against the Philippines, Malaysia clocked 4:55.515
against their opponents' 4:48.644.
The bronze went to Thailand, who were faster than Malaysia with
a time of 4:51.886 in their defeat by eventual winners Indonesia in
the other semifinal.
OUR GIRLS' LETHAL WEAPON -- FIGHTING SPIRIT
FIGHTING spirit will be the Malaysian girls' most lethal weapon
when they come up against Thailand in the women's football final at
the Main Stadium tonight.
Coach M. Sivam concedes that the Thais, who beat Malaysia 1-0 in
the opening preliminary round match last week, are stronger. But
his players have the fire to cause an upset.
"The girls know what to expect. They have beaten us twice and we
don't want to be third-time losers. We have a game plan to hold
them," Sivam said.
The other time the Thais beat Malaysia was at the Asian
Championships in Kota Kinabalu in September. Then, the Thais won
3-1.
"We showed in the first match here that we can match them. The
defence lost concentration for a second and the Thais scored the
winning goal," Sivam said.
"We have to be more careful this time. It will be sweet revenge
for the girls if we can beat them and win the gold medal."
Skipper and influential midfielder Beatrice Yaw said the final
was a stage for them to prove a point.
"We have earned an opportunity to prove that we can also play
good football. It will be a grudge match for us. But the Thais are
fast on the attack and we have to check their speed on the flanks,"
Beatrice said.
Malaysia also have a reliable sweeper in Haineh Liem, a strong
and tough competitor who packs a wallop in her kicks.
Besides having Beatrice in midfield, Malaysia can also bank on
the skilful Laini Ahing to create openings for forwards Norhaliza
Abdul Rahman, Hanjilin Tindil and Norasiah Ishak.
Meanwhile, Thai coach Verasak Vittaya said they had to find a
way to get past what he expected would be a packed Malaysian
defence.
He added that Malaysia held very well in the first match because
they had between six and seven players in the box to frustrate the
Thai forwards.
But Verasak is confident his players would became the inaugural
champions of women's football.
Probable Malaysian line-up: Palitah Endiu, Ruzina Jacob, Haineh
Liem, Nortinah Ongkalis, Laini Ahing, Beatrice Yaw, Popoi Lansiew,
Hanjilin Tindil, Norasiah Ishak, Nor Abidah Sadon, Norhaliza Abdul
Rahman.
PLAYERS SHOW FIRST SIGN OF DISTRESS
THAILAND exuded class as Malaysia showed the first sign of distress
on the eve of the inter-team sepaktakraw final.
Thailand were hardly tested by Indonesia in their 3-0 semifinal
win at the Gymnasium III yesterday.
But long after Thailand had clinched their place in the final,
Malaysia were still struggling to pick up their winning point
against Singapore.
The Malaysian second regu of Suhaimi Abdul Rahman, Ismail Amir
and Khairulnizam Mohamed Jidin were forced to bring out their best
before subduing Nurhisham Adam, Eddie Abdul Kadir and Raffi Buang
15-7, 7-15, 15-8 for the winning point.
Malaysia won the tie 3-0.
But neither Malaysia nor Thailand read too much into the
contrasting semifinal performances. Both camps were equally
confident that they would win the gold medal today.
"We were lucky to have beaten Singapore in the second regu. But
the tough match has prepared the regu mentally for the Thais," said
team manager Syed Yazid Syed Abdan.
He added that the Singapore trio were, in fact, their first regu
and the victory was good for Malaysia.
Malaysia picked up their first point through Ahmad Jais Baharum,
Zabidi Shariff and Suhaimi Yusof, who easily beat Raimon Budin,
Mislan Munjari and Padzli Othman 15-4, 15-1.
In the dead rubber, Zaini Mohamed Said, Saiful Bahari Abu Bakar
and Awalludin Abdul Hamid defeated Sahriff Osman, Ahmad Yasin and
Mohamed Fami 15-10, 15-8.
"Thailand's easy victory over Indonesia has made them very
confident," Syed Yazid said.
He added that Thailand's ploy in resting their experienced
tekong, Somphorn Saenyabut, would not fool them.
"Players like Somphorn and Kriengkrai (Mutalai) are only good
with a certain combination of players. We more or less know just
who is going to play in which regu," Syed Yazid said.
He added that Thailand's strength lay with their excellent
tekongs.
"If we can break their service, we will be halfway to the gold."
Meanwhile, Thai coach Kamol Tankimhong said: "We have four good
tekongs in our side. We will make the decision on who to field
later tonight."
KENNETH UPSETS TOP SEED FOR GOLD
KENNETH Low put Malaysian squash on a high at the SEA Games
yesterday.
Kenneth set a hot pace to upset top seed Peter Hill of Singapore
9-1, 5-9, 9-0, 6-9, 9-0 in 75 minutes in the men's individual final
in Pattaya.
It was Malaysia's first squash gold medal since the sport made
its Games debut in 1991 in Manila.
The 19-year-old professional also broke the domination of
Singapore, who made a clean sweep of all the gold medals at the
last two Games.
Malaysia also took three bronze medals in the individual
competition.
Tan Tian Huat, a silver medallist in Singapore two years ago,
took the bronze in the men's event while debutants Kuan Choy Lin
and Carrie Yeo also won medals of the same colour as losing
semifinalists.
"I was confident of beating Peter, especially after getting past
Zainal (Abidin) in the semifinal," said Kenneth, who was only a
reserve at the last Games.
Kenneth started aggressively and Peter tried to match the
youngster's game. The Singaporean, who won the gold at the last two
Games, failed to keep up with Kenneth blow-for-blow and lost the
first set easily.
But the experienced Peter, who is based in Hong Kong, slowed the
game down to trap the speedy Kenneth in the next set. An anxious
Kenneth, frustrated with Peter's high lobs, kept sending the ball
into the tin and lost.
"I kind of lost focus but managed to get back into rhythm,"
Kenneth said.
Kenneth countered Peter's lobs by sending the ball back instead
of going for the winners immediately. The sudden change of tactics
caught Peter by surprise and he was totally outplayed by Kenneth.
"Maybe I was too confident as I lost my focus again in the
fourth set. But I never doubted that I could beat him even at that
stage," Kenneth said.
Peter fell into a false sense of security after the 9-6 fourth
set win and started playing aggressively. That was his downfall.
Kenneth was at ease playing at a fast pace and raced to a 5-0
lead in the decider before Peter realised his folly. He tried to
slow down the game but it was too late to stop Kenneth from taking
the gold medal.
Kenneth will be looking for a second gold when he leads Malaysia
in the inter-team event, which begins today.
"The victory today has given me more confidence. We will give
them a run for their money in the team event," Kenneth said.
Malaysia are seeded second behind Singapore in both the men and
women's team competitions.
TWO GOLDS FROM THE SKY
Fung Ying re-asserts his class by bagging a double in skeet event
BURLY Kaw Fung Ying put the failure of Singapore behind him to
reassert his authority in the skeet when he clinched a double at
the Hua Mak Shooting Complex in Bangkok yesterday.
Fung Ying took advantage of a clear sky to down 142 birds for
the individual gold, six ahead of his nearest rivals Filipino F.
Mercado and Brunei's Datuk Pengiran Samid.
He then teamed up with Ricky Tho and Goh Kek Chuan to shoot down
the team gold on 332. The Philippines and Singapore took the silver
and bronze on 330 and 321 respectively.
Fung Ying, 38, said the victory made up for his bitter
disappointment in the 1993 Singapore SEA Games where he drew
blanks. Two years earlier he showed great promise with a double
gold haul.
"It's nice to feel that I'm back at the top of this region but
nothing beats the feeling of successfully helping the country win
the two golds today," he said.
Fung Ying said his win was a result of intensive training under
Chinese coach Liu Jisheng and the support from the National
Shooting Association of Malaysia president Ally Ong.
"Ally wants me to maintain Malaysia's proud domination of the
event while Jisheng's coaching is first class. I'm glad I didn't
disappoint anybody this time."
As for his performance, Fung Ying said it was nothing to shout
about compared to his immaculate 147 out of 150 in the Chendu Asian
Clay shooting championship in August.
The performance made him the first Malaysian to qualify for next
year's Atlanta Olympics.
Meanwhile, the trap team failed to defend their individual and
team gold. Leong Wai Heng gunned down 133 for the bronze. The gold
went to Singapore's Lee Weng Yew and the silver to Filipino Jamie
Reccio on 138 and 136 respectively.
Singapore also captured the team gold on 334. The Philippines
took silver on 330 and Malaysia the bronze on 328.
BUTTERFLY KING ANTHONY
Swimmer splashes to second gold in new Games record time
ANTHONY Ang is the new Malaysian swimming hero. He splashed to his
second Games gold medal at the Swimming Complex yesterday, winning
the 100m butterfly in record time.
Malaysia did not have to wait too long for a swimmer to bring
glory to the country since the retirement of Jeffrey Ong after the
last Games in Singapore.
The 17-year-old Anthony has stamped his mark. He gave a powerful
display yesterday and touched home a clear winner in 55.83 to erase
Singaporean Ang Peng Siong's 1989 record of 56.00.
It was also faster than his own national record of 56.24, set at
the Thai Open in January.
Anthony, who swam a tactical race to win the 200m butterfly on
Monday, was just too fast for Indonesia's Wisnu Wardhana and
Thailand's Nuttapol Chavanavanichwoot.
Wisnu finished in a time of 57.39 to take the silver and
Nuttapol was third in 57.49.
Anthony said he was happy to have achieved his goals in the
Games.
"It (the 100m butterfly) is my pet event. I was looking forward
to breaking the record before I came to Chiang Mai. I am glad that
I succeeded," the Ipoh boy said.
"In fact I came close to bettering the Games mark at the Thai
Open in January. Then I clocked the 56.24, which was my best until
today."
Malaysia also won a bronze yesterday through Wan Azlan in the
men's 400m individual medley.
Azlan clocked 4:33.86 to finish behind Thailand's Rattapong
Sirisanont and Singapore's Desmond. He was more than satisfied with
his effort.
"This is my first medal in three SEA Games," said the
20-year-old Azlan.
"What made me happier was that I managed to improve on my
personal best. Until tonight, it stood at 4:39.05, a mark which I
achieved in a competition in the United States last year."
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* ATHLETICS: Azmi plotting century dash coup
* ATHLETICS: Respectable gold haul in the offing
* ATHLETICS: Watson: My thigh still hurts
* BADMINTON: Shadow of Indons haunt pair
* BOXING: Four down, three to go
* SOCCER: Khir: Probe may destroy morale
* WOMEN'S SOCCER: Hold your heads high, girls
* GOLF: Women golfers take bronze, men get nothing
* GYMNASTICS: Wow - Au vaults to gold
* HOCKEY: No surprises from hockey
* SHOOTING: Shooters bag a bronze
* TAEKWONDO: Biased judges ro Jeetender of a sure gold
* SNOOKER: Winning ways boost snooker's image
AZMI PLOTTING CENTURY DASH COUP
But Reanchai and Sayam will not be easy victims
THE day of reckoning has arrived for Malaysian sprinter Azmi
Ibrahim.
Days of speculation and anxiety over who will be the fastest man
in South-East Asia will end in just over 10 seconds at the Main
Stadium today.
Azmi goes into the race as the favourite. The heats are
scheduled to start at 2.20pm (3.20pm Malaysian time) and the final
at 4.30pm (5.30pm).
Azmi, the bronze medallist in the 200m on Monday, looks
comfortable and all fired up to win the most glamorous gold medal
of the athletics programme.
He said yesterday that success would very much depend on the
competition that he would be up against.
"My runs in the 200m and 4x100m have given me the confidence to
face anyone. I consider the two events as good and valuable
warm-ups for the 100m," Azmi said.
Azmi goes into the fray with a personal best of 10.38, the
national record time he shares with teammate Watson Nyambek.
Besides wanting to become the first Malaysian to win the gold
medal since 1967, Azmi is eager to set a new national record.
Azmi and Watson have qualified for next year's Atlanta Olympics
under Category B. But only one athlete can compete under that
category.
If Azmi can dip below 10.36, he will upgraded to Category A and
both will be able to represent Malaysia in Atlanta.
But standing in the way of the Malaysian dream to have the
fastest man in the region since G. Rajalingam in Bangkok '67 are
Thailand's Reanchai Seehawong and Sayam Namwong.
The young Thais claim they have set their personal best times in
training recently.
The 20-year-old Reanchai has done 10.20 while Sayam recorded
10.21. But they were hand-clocked times.
Sayam beat Azmi at last year's Asian Junior Championships in
Jakarta.
Reanchai said it would not be an easy race for him and he
expected tough competition from Azmi.
"Azmi is showing a lot of guts and he will be a big threat to
our dreams," said Reanchai, who anchored Thailand to the 4x100m
gold in record time on Tuesday.
Former Thai sprint champion Suchart Jaesuraparp, who is now
Reanchai and Sayam's coach, feels the favourite tag placed on Azmi
may not have any meaning.
"Azmi is in fine form and he is capable of winning the gold. But
there is always the possibility of an upset.
"Much will depend on how the athletes cope with the tense
situation at the stadium," Suchart said.
Malaysians will be rooting for Azmi to be crowned king. It has
been a long 28-year wait. And they want a Malaysian to be the king
of the sprint again!
RESPECTABLE GOLD HAUL IN THE OFFING
MALAYSIA can look forward to a respectable haul of gold medals in
the track and field programme, which resumes today.
Besides sprinter Azmi Ibrahim, Malaysia can rely on high jumper
Loo Kum Zee, long jumper Mohamed Zaki Sadri and walker Annastasia
Karen to win their events.
Kum Zee shoulders the responsibility of maintaining Malaysia's
domination in the men's high jump. In the absence of reigning champ
Lou Cwee Peng, he has a bright chance of winning his first Games
gold medal.
He has a personal best of 2.20m and is capable of cracking the
Games record of 2.21m set by Cwee Peng in Singapore in 1993.
However, Mohamed Zaki, who holds the Games record of 7.77m set
in 1993, is expected to face some problems in his bid to retain his
crown.
Mohamed Zaki has a strong rival in Indonesia's Reza Agus, who
has a personal best of 7.85m. Mohamed Zaki has not been competing
in the long jump this season.
Annastasia and Cheng Tong Lean look good enough for a 1-2
Malaysian finish in the women's 5km walk.
Annastasia's coach V. Subramaniam said his protege was in fine
form and should be able to clock an impressive time.
"She has learnt a lot from her experience in the ATF (Asian
Track and Field) Championships in Jakarta. I don't think she will
make the same mistakes here," Subramaniam said.
In the ATF, Annastasia collapsed midway in the 10,000m race.
Over a shorter distance here, she is strong enough to rewrite the
Games record.
Annastasia's personal best is 22:52.8 set at the Inter-Bank
championships in October. The Games record is 24:03.79, set by
Myanmar's Ma Kyin Lwan in 1991.
Middle-distance runners K. Soloseeni and M. Arumugan will also
see action in the women's 800m and men's 1,500m today.
Both are not ranked among the medal prospects but they may
spring surprises -- just like S. Vasu, who won a silver medal in
the 800m on Tuesday.
WATSON: MY THIGH STILL HURTS
WATSON Nyambek has ruled himself out of the 100m race today.
The sprinter, who sustained a hamstring injury in the 200m final
on Tuesday, said yesterday his thigh still hurts.
"The pain is quite bad and I cannot stretch myself. I don't
think it is wise to compete tomorrow. I don't want to aggravate the
injury and jeopardise my athletics career," Watson said.
"I am still young and there are many more SEA Games for me."
SHADOW OF INDONS HAUNT PAIR
Soon Kit-Kim Hock to try new tactics against Ricky-Rexy
THE imposing figures of Indonesians Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky
continue to haunt Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock in the men's
doubles badminton competition.
But Soon Kit-Kim Hock are hoping to get it right in the
individual competition after losing to the Indonesians in all their
previous four meetings.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock, who easily disposed of Cambodians Cmea
Bundeng and Y. Bun 15-4, 15-3 in the first round last night, are
drawn to meet Ricky-Rexy in the final.
"We must look for a new tactic before the final. All the
strategies we used before have come to naught," Soon Kit said
yesterday.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock were beaten 4-15, 7-15 by Ricky-Rexy in
Malaysia's 1-4 defeat by Indonesia in the inter-team final on
Tuesday.
"They seem to have an answer for everything we do. We have been
discussing how to counter their offensive game," Soon Kit said.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock also lost to the Indonesians at the World Cup,
World Championships and the All-England earlier this year.
"We have not given up hope. They will find us different if we
meet again," Soon Kit added.
Joining Soon Kit-Kim Hock in the next round are Soo Beng
Kiang-Tan Kim Her who defeated Singapore's Tan Sian Peng-Patrick
Lau 15-5, 15-10 last night.
Rashid Sidek and Ong Ewe Hock were also easy winners in their
opening matches.
Rashid crushed Filipino Jaime Llanes 15-1, 15-1 while Ewe Hock
defeated Singaporean Nor Azlan Paini 15-1, 15-7.
Ishwari Boobathy is the sole survivor in the women's singles.
She beat Aye Myat Khine of Myanmar 12-10, 11-4. However, Chan Chia
Fong lost to Pornsawan Plungwech of Thailand 4-11, 6-11.
FOUR DOWN, THREE TO GO
FOUR Malaysian boxers failed to get past their semifinal bouts at
the Payap University Gymnasium yesterday and have to be satisfied
with bronze medals.
All four were stopped by Filipinos.
Eddie Suip had his 51kg bout against Ellasir Recaido stopped by
the referee in the fifth round while Mahmo Ismail was beaten on
points by Eric Canoy in the 57kg category.
The referee stopped Ramli Yahya from further punishment in his
63.5kg bout against Reynaldo Galido in the fourth round.
Che Andli Hashim gave some resistance in the fight against
Ernesto Coronel in the 91kg category. The Filipino came out a 13-9
winner.
Three other Malaysians will see semifinal action today against
Filipino opponents. They are Sapok Biki (48kg), Cheng Beng Huat
(71kg) and Balkish Ahlal (54kg).
KHIR: PROBE MAY DESTROY MORALE
CHEF-de-mission to the SEA Games, Tan Sri Khir Johari, reiterated
yesterday that there was no need to investigate claims that the
Malaysian football team "sold" matches.
"Up to now, I do not see the need to request for an
investigation as the football scene is already badly tarnished ...
any more action could destroy the footballers' morale."
Khir was speaking to reporters on his return from Chiang Mai
together with Sports and Youth Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
and two athletes, Petra Ghani and Mohamed Sad Arshad, who were sent
home for misbehaving.
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[IMAGE]Football[IMAGE]
A Thai striker shooting past Malaysia's Haineh Liem (5)
and Nor Abidah Sadon (2) in the final yesterday.
HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGH, GIRLS
They fought all the way and can be proud despite losing 1-0 in final
MALAYSIA failed in their quest to upstage Thailand in the playoff
for the women's football gold medal but they will leave the Games
with their heads held high.
They were beaten 0-1 by the Thais in the final at the Main
Stadium last night but a silver medal for a team given no chance at
all is a big achievement.
It was the second time that Malaysia were beaten by a solitary
goal by the Thais. They went down by the same margin in the opening
match of the competition last week.
Last night, Nongyao Wongkasemsak scored the winner for Thailand
in the 18th minute.
Coach M. Sivam said there was pride in the defeat.
"The girls played their hearts out and it was no shame losing to
a team who are superior in skills. In terms of commitment and
fighting spirit, I think we displayed more than the Thais," Sivam
said.
"We had only 15 days of training and I don't think anyone can
build a team to be sound on tactical and technical skills. But this
is the challenge we have to take up for future assignments."
It was Malaysia's third defeat by the Thais. They wee beaten 3-1
at the Asian Championships in Kota Kinabalu in September.
Myanmar, who finished third in the one-round robin league, took
the bronze medal. There was no playoff for third place.
WOMEN GOLFERS TAKE BRONZE, MEN GET NOTHING
MALAYSIA settled for the bronze in the women's team golf
competition at the Lamphun Golf Course yesterday.
The Malaysian trio of Lim Siew Ai, Lim Ai Lian and Dorothy Ng
had a combined total of 313 and were six shots behind gold
medallist Thailand. The Philippines posted 307 to win the silver.
Siew Ai missed a second medal. She went into the second round
with a 76 but carded a poor 81 for a total score of 157 and was
just a stroke behind bronze medallist Magdelena De Guzman.
Thailand's Pearwan Udompansa won the individual gold with a 151
followed by Philippines Jennifer Rosales, who had a two-round card
of 154.
Thailand won the men's team and individual gold medals. Thailand
had a three-round score of 648. The Philippines won the silver on
657 and Myanmar with a 677 took the bronze. Malaysia had a total of
680 and finished fourth.
Chawalit Phalaphol putted the individual gold with a total of
214. The Philippines' Juan Migvel Rocha and Thailand's Somchai
Sophin had identical 218s. But the Filipino was awarded the silver
on countback.
Malaysia's best finisher was Danny Chia, who carded a 225 for
eighth place.
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[IMAGE]Gymnastics[IMAGE]Au (left) showing a teammate the medal
she won.
WOW -- AU VAULTS TO A GOLD
13-year-old surprises even herself with win
TWO years ago, gymnast Au Li-yen looked at teammate Lim Wai Chi's
gold medal with envy. But last night it was the other way round.
The 13-year-old Li-yen surprised even herself last night for
winning a gold medal in the women's individual routines
competition.
Li Yen took the gold in the horse vault to add to the silver
medal she won in the all-around event the previous night.
Wai Chi, the darling of the team at the last Games in Singapore,
won a bronze medal in the parallel beam event. She was also the
bronze medallist in the all-around on Tuesday.
"I am indeed surprised to win a gold medal. It was unexpected
and I am very happy," Li-yen said.
The petite and jovial Li-yen collected 9.050 points to win the
vault and made Chiang Mai a memorable outing. Thailand's Auamduan
Phojan took the silver with 8.875 points while Filipina Cecilta
Tanjbatco was third on 8.775.
Li-yen can expect to get about RM10,000 in rewards for her
outstanding display. She has no plans to spend the money on
anything but save it for her future studies.
"All that will come in handy when I go for higher studies. I
don't have to burden my parents financially," Li-yen said.
Wai Chi, who just recovered from an elbow injury before the
Games, was not satisfied with her two-bronze haul.
"My target was to win at least a gold medal but I failed. I'm
quite disappointed. But I am happy for Li-yen. She deserves to win
the gold," Wai Chi said.
NO SURPRISES FROM HOCKEY
MALAYSIA, as expected, claimed their place in the men's hockey
final by beating Singapore 2-0 at the Maejo Institute of
Agricultural Technology yesterday.
It was their third straight win in the single round-robin
preliminary round. Malaysia beat Brunei 6-0 and Myanmar 7-0 in
their previous matches.
Goals by M. Sivadas Naidu in the 14th minute and Minarwan Nawawi
in the 36th minute gave Malaysia a smooth passage into the final.
Malaysia, who are the defending champions, wrap up their
fixtures against Thailand tomorrow.
But it was not smooth sailing for the Malaysian women after they
went down 0-1 to defending champions Singapore. They have to beat
Brunei today to qualify for the final.
Malaysia, who won the silver at the last Games, beat Thailand
4-1 in their opening match. The top two teams qualify for the
final.
Singapore, who drew 0-0 with Brunei, are on top of the table
with three points.
Thailand, after their 2-0 win over Brunei, are also in the race
for a final berth and will have to beat Singapore today to qualify.
SHOOTERS BAG A BRONZE
MALAYSIA won a bronze medal from shooting in the men's team 10m air
rifle event yesterday.
The Malaysian shooters could only manage a total score of 1,703
points. Thailand took the gold medal with 1,732 points while the
silver went to the Philippines with 1,708.
Mejar Jasni Shaari and Ismail Diran could only score 566 each
while Abdul Razak Mutalib had 571 points.
In the individual final, Malaysia's best hope for a medal was
Abdul Razak, who won the gold medal in the Commonwealth
championships in New Delhi last month.
But a poor start in the competition spoiled his chances of
winning a medal in his pet event. He could only finish a
disappointing fourth with 673.3 points.
Samarn Jongsuk of Thailand won the gold with 683.2 while the
silver went to Emerito Concepcion of the Philippines with 678.0.
In the men's individual 50m free pistol final, Mohamed Noor Said
could only finish seventh with a poor 625.6 points. Thailand's
Surin Klomijai won the gold with 646.1.
The silver medal also went to Thai's Pannicchpatikum Jakkrit
with 637.7 points and the bronze to Kyi Soe of Myanmar with 636.2.
BIASED JUDGES ROB JEETENDER OF A SURE GOLD
TAEKWONDO exponent Jeetender Kumar Rai became a victim of biased
judging when he lost the gold in the men's welterweight category to
a Thai opponent he had beaten yesterday.
Jeetender, the Singapore 1993 SEA Games bronze medallist, won
6-5 against Dissol Punya but one point was deducted from his score
for the two warnings he received in the three-round fight.
However, with the two exponents tied at 5-5, the judge awarded
the gold medal to the Thai on a "superiority count", much to the
dismay of the Malaysian camp.
Jeetender, whose superiority over his rival was apparent in his
powerful reverse kicks, had at one stage brought down Dissol's
headgear and the Thai struggled to keep pace with him.
"I am very sad and disappointed. It was clearly my fight and I
was very confident of winning the gold," said Jeetender, who
defeated Vietnam's Nguyendang Khanh in the semifinal.
National coach Lee Yoke Keong said Jeetender fought very well
and he was a clear winner today as officials from other teams also
said the gold should have been Malaysia's.
"One point will be deducted if there are two warnings. In terms
of points and superiority we won the gold but the advantage was
given to the host country ... it's unfair but we can't do
anything," he said.
Team manager Foong Wing Hon said there was no point in lodging a
protest as the decision of the judges is final. He said such
instances were normal in subjective sports like taekwondo.
Malaysia also won another silver through Norniza Rahim and a
bronze from Koh Yen Nie.
Malaysia's second exponent in the final, Norniza Rahim, was
unable to snatch gold when she lost to Nelia Sy Ma of the
Philippines in the women's lighweight category.
The 18-year-old Norniza, who beat Myanmar's Chit Su That in the
semifinals, could not match the aggressive Nelia and lost 0-3.
"I am not happy with the silver. I have targeted the gold but
she was very fast," said the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM)
student.
Koh, who has just completed her SPM examinations, lost to Vie
Khu Clieu Chau of Vietnam in the women's welterweight semifinal to
collect the bronze.
R. Rajendran failed to retain the men's lightweight title when
he lost to Taraya Alvin of the Philippines.
Both exponents were tied at 1-1 but Taraya, who was more
aggressive, won on superiority. -- Bernama.
WINNING WAYS BOOST SNOOKER'S IMAGE
THE excellence of the snooker and billiards team in the SEA Games
has raised a golden opportunity for the sport to get rid of a
stigma attached to it.
The sport is widely regarded as the game of the "bad boys."
But team manager Wales Tan believes that the continued success
by the national players in international tournaments will help the
Malaysian Billiards and Snooker Federation in their efforts to make
the sport acceptable by all.
"There is no denying that billiards and snooker fall in the
parlour games category," said Tan, who is also the MBSF treasurer.
He added that the sport had always been associated with gambling
and other unhealthy activities.
Bowling suffered the same predicament at one time but has
managed to break away because of excellence in international
competitions.
"Parents normally discourage their young from getting involved
in billiards and snooker because it is linked to activities like
gambling," Tan said.
"But which sport in Malaysia is not linked with betting? Games
like golf and football are no exception."
He added that Malaysian society and attitute made it very hard
for them to remove the stigma attached to billiards and snooker.
Tan hopes that the success in Chiang Mai will help them gain
positive recognition.
He added that the federation would not leave it to mere results
to convince Malaysians that the sport attracted bad influences.
They will harp on discipline among players to get the message
across.
"Success alone is not enough. We have produced two Asian
champions in Sam Chong and Ooi Chin Kay but it has done little to
help us win over the people," Tan said.
"That is why we have to emphasise strongly on discipline. This
should also help us remove the stigma from the sport once and for
all."
He added that both the Asian champions had been sanctioned by
the federation for indiscipline.
Tan said Sam was suspended for six months for indiscipline at
the Jakarta SEA Games in 1987 and Chin Kay is serving a one-year
ban which was served on him recently.
"He (Chin Kay) was suspended because of grave misconduct.
Otherwise, we would have a stronger team here," Tan said.
"We cannot condone indiscipline. It has been proven that
disclipinary action can turn players into better ones. Sam returned
from suspension as a very responsible player."
Besides the people, Wales said he hoped the success of the Games
would also win over the hearts of the sponsors.
He said the federation needed funds to groom their youngster and
give them more international exposure.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
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* ATHLETICS: Vasu gets a place in 4x400m quartet
* ATHLETICS: This one is for you, Charlie Brown
* ATHLETICS: Atlanta here I come!
* ATHLETICS: Azmi: False start was my undoing
* BADMINTON: Chance for redemption
* BASKETBALL: Women cagers crash out
* BILLIARDS: Gold rush not over yet
* GOLF: Golfers end up with three bronzes
* SWIMMING: Butterfly king in no hurry to fly
* HOCKEY: Our girls make it to final
VASU GETS A PLACE IN 4X400M QUARTET
THE blistering run by youngster S. Vasu, who won a surprise silver
medal on Monday, has won him a place in the 4x400m quartet.
Coach K. Jeyabalan has decided to opt for Vasu instead of
veteran Azhar Hashim in the team, which will attempt to pull the
carpet from under favourites Thailand on the last day of the
athletics programme today.
Jeyabalan said yesterday that Vasu would run the third leg.
"He was excellent in the 800m. Vasu has proved his ability and
we feel that he will be a valuable runner in our quest to snatch
the gold medal from the Thais," Jeyabalan said.
The other members of the Malaysian quartet are D. Nadarajan, R.
Murugan and Romzi Bakar.
Both Nadarajan and Romzi are sub-47-second runners while Vasu
and Murugan have consistently clocked 48.
Jeyabalan added that Nadarajan, who won the 400m bronze on
Monday, would start the race for Malaysia. Murugan will run the
next lap followed by Vasu and Romzi.
"All of them are young and have the burning desire to win. That
will be an adavantage. Their baton-changing is also impressive and
they are capable of matching the Thais," Jeyabalan said.
If the four live up to expectations, Jeyabalan believes they
should be able to take a shot at the national record of 3:08.94
clocked at the last Games in Singapore.
Today's programme is likely to see a Wong versus Wong battle for
the hammer gold.
On the Malaysian side is Wong Tee Kue while James Wong will be
wearing Singapore colours.
Although Tee Kue has not recorded a distance anywhere near his
personal best of 58.52m this year, he is more experienced than the
Singaporean, who has trained in Germany for five months.
"I'm confident of winning my third Games gold medal. I'm the
defending champion and I think I have the edge. But I'm not
underestimating him (James)," said Tee Kue.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Zaki Sadri will be under tremendous pressure
to win the triple jump gold for the fifth consecutive Games.
The Malaysian, who holds the Games record of 16.29m established
in the 1989 Games in Kuala Lumpur, has a tough contender in Jousan
Lekahena. The Indonesian has a personal best of 16.31m.
Long-distance ace M. Ramachandran, who won the 10,000m gold in a
Games record time on Sunday, will pursue more honours in the
5,000m.
But Ramachandran faces strong opposition from Myanmar's Thein
Win and Indonesia's Parluatan Siregar.
"I will only go for the gold. I don't think it will be easy to
clock an impressive time," said Ramachandran, who has a personal
best of 14.06.84.
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, CHARLIE BROWN
Victory tinged with sadness as Annastasia wins for her dad
WALKER Annastasia Karen was an easy winner yesterday. But she will
mourn a loss.
The 20-year-old Annastasia was beside herself with joy after she
won the 5km race in Games and national record time. She had no
knowledge that her grandmother had passed away three days ago.
Coach V. Subramaniam said he kept the sad news a secret after
learning about it from Annastasia's relatives, who arrived in
Chiang Mai two days ago.
"I did not want to convey the sad news to her until she
completed the race. I knew that Annastasia would win and I did not
want to upset her," Subramaniam said.
"I think I will have to break the news to her tonight. But it
will be difficult for me to tell her."
Annastasia completed the 12-lap race in 22:50.24. The previous
Games record was 24:03.79, set by Myanmar's Ma Kyin Lwan in the
1991 Manila Games.
Her previous national record was 22:52.8, set at the inter-bank
meet in October.
Cheng Tong Lean made it a 1-2 finish for Malaysia with a
personal best of 24:03.08. Myanmar's Ma Hla Shwe won the bronze in
24:27.69.
The win for Annastasia made up for her dismal outing in the
Asian Track and Field (ATF) Championships in Jakarta in September
where she collapsed midway in the 10km race.
"My target was to win and the records are bonuses. The weather
was also quite hot.
"I had been training in the morning and it was cold.
Surprisingly, it was hot during the final," Annastasia said.
"This gold medal is dedicated to my father, Charlie Brown
Selvaraj. He celebrates his 46th birthday today. I will call him
and talk to him later."
Subramaniam will probably not have to go through the difficult
task of telling Annastasia about her grandmother's death.
ATLANTA HERE I COME!
HIGH jumper Loo Kum Zee made a leap into next year's Olympics by
clearing 2.24m to win the gold at the Main Stadium yesterday.
The new national and Games record height beat the Category B
Olympic qualifying mark of 2.23.
Kum Zee pranced around the pitch like a kid after he cleared the
bar. He had every right to do that. Besides maintaining Malaysia's
domination of the event since 1975, Kum Zee has a ticket to
Atlanta.
He took over from Lou Cwee Peng, the holder of the national and
Games records of 2.22m and 2.21m respectively. Cwee Peng had to
miss this Games because of an ankle injury.
Singapore's Wong Yew Tong, who gave some strong resistance to
Kum Zee, settled for the silver in 2.22m while Thailand's Makapol
Stianchokvisal was third in 2.10m.
"I came here to win but got more than that. This is my first
Games gold medal. I was fourth in Manila and third in Singapore,"
said Kum Zee.
"I can now look ahead to the other international outings with
more confidence," said the 21-year-old Kum Zee, a full-time trainee
under the National Sports Council (NSC) Commonwealth Games Project.
Kum Zee did not attempt to go higher after clearing 2.24m in his
third attempt. If Kum Zee had not gone over, Yew Tong would have
taken the gold on countback.
"I was very tired and too excited to attempt to go higher. I
arrived here seven days ago and had to wait for quite a long time
to go into action. But it was worth the wait," Kum Zee said.
AZMI: FALSE START WAS MY UNDOING
AZMI Ibrahim is not to be the fastest man in South-East Asia yet.
He was slow off the blocks and had to be content with the silver
medal in the 100m race at the Main Stadium yesterday.
Azmi, who went into the final carrying Malaysia's hopes of
having a winner in the event after 28 years, clocked 10.55 -- way
below his personal best and national record of 10.38.
Thailand's Reanchai Seehawong won the gold medal with a time of
10.47. His teammate Sayan Namwong took the bronze in 10.58.
With two Thais on the starting blocks of a tense final, it was
no surprise that there was a false start. Reanchai was the culprit.
The second start was clean and the 19-year-old Reanchai shot out
like a bullet for a clear win. Azmi was left well behind and was in
fourth place at the 50m mark.
But the Malaysian picked up speed to pip Sayan to the silver
medal.
"If not for the false start, I believe I could have done better.
I was quite tense for the second start and did not get out as well
as I did in the first," Azmi said.
"I was trailing the others up to the halfway mark. Anyway I am
happy with the silver. There will be another time for me to try to
win the gold."
Azmi completed his assignment at the Games with two silvers and
a bronze. He was in the 4x100m team which finished second to
Thailand on Tuesday. He was third in the 200m on Monday.
National coach Daniel St Hilaire said he was satisfied with
Azmi's performance.
"He was under tremendous pressure and he did all right," St
Hilaire said.
Lanky youngster P. Arumugam was a surprise silver medallist in
the 1,500m. The first-year physical education student at the
Universiti Pertanian Malaysia ran well but it was not good enough
to beat Chern Srichudanu.
The Thai won in 3:50.14, Arumugam was timed at 3:50.79 followed
by Vietnam's Phan Van Hoa in 3:53.90.
Arumugam was happy to have achieved a personal best. His
previous best was 3:51.07.
"I have justified my inclusion in the team. I have to thank the
National Sports Council (NSC) and Johor AAA secretary S.
Rajasegaram. They fought hard for me to compete here," said
Arumugam, who is a member of the Commonwealth Games project.
Mohamed Zaki Sadri's reign in the long jump was ended by
Indonesian Reza Agus. He had to settle for the silver with a poor
distance of 7.47m against Reza's 7.55m.
Women's middle-distance runner K. Soloseeni ran a bad tactical
race and finished seventh in 2:13.44. The gold went to Thailand's
Saipin Suetrong in 2:07.48.
A CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION
THE euphoria of beating world badminton champion Hariyanto Arbi of
Indonesia was the undoing of Rashid Sidek in his semifinal match
against Ardy Wiranata at the recent World Grand Prix Finals in
Singapore.
Now, less than a week later, Rashid has been presented with an
opportunity to make amends.
Rashid easily gunned down Vietnam's Nguyen Anh Hoang in the
quarter-finals yesterday to set up a semifinal clash against Ardy.
Ardy was forced to stay longer than he wanted to on court by
Thailand's Kittipon Kittikul before winning 15-9, 15-10.
"I was still in a different world after defeating Hariyanto (in
the group match) and was totally unprepared for Ardy the next day.
But it will be a different story tomorrow," Rashid said at the
Gymnasium III.
He added that his spirits were so high after beating Hariyanto
for the first time in almost three years that he assumed that he
had achieved his target in Singapore.
"It will be a close match against Ardy tomorrow. I am better
prepared for him now," Rashid said.
Rashid added that he was adapting to Ardy's game.
"His game has not changed since I beat him at the World
Championships. Now that I am more focused, I hope to repeat the
performance."
The other semifinal will also be a repeat of the World GP
Finals, with Ong Ewe Hock taking on top seed Joko Suprianto of
Indonesia.
Ewe Hock, who was beaten by Joko in Singapore, also hopes to
change things round today.
Soo Beng Kiang-Tan Kim Her failed to make it to the last four of
the men's doubles competition. They were beaten 3-15, 9-15 by world
champions Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia.
However, Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock set up a revenge clash
against Indonesians Denny Kantono-Antonius. They beat Tan Thein
Win-Maung Maung of Myanmar 15-2, 15-2.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock were beaten by the Indonesians in a World GP
Finals group match.
Malaysia will also have a pair in the mixed doubles competition.
Mohamed Roslin Hashim-Chor Hooi Yee beat Thailand's Siripong
Siripol-Duchfun Eingsuwanpattama 15-11, 8-15, 15-11 in the
quarter-finals.
They play against top seeds Trikus Heryanto-Minarti Timur of
Indonesia in the semi-finals.
WOMEN CAGERS CRASH OUT
THE Malaysian women cagers are out of the finals after allowing
Thailand to crawl back from an 11-point first-half deficit to win
the match 58-45 at the Gymnasium I yesterday.
With the volatile Thai supporters against them, the Malaysian
women lost concentration and their shooting went haywire.
Malaysia went into the break with a 36-25 lead but failed to
press home the advantage. Thailand qualified for the final with an
unbeaten record.
"It's just too bad. We could have caused an upset today. We
surprised them with our offensive play in the first half but lost
our grip in the second," lamented coach Tan See Wah.
"Once they got back into the game and started to score points,
our girls lost concentration. We could only defend after that."
Malaysia will play Indonesia for the bronze medal tomorrow.
Thailand's opponents in the final are the Philippines.
Malaysia, who won the silver at the last Games, completed their
preliminary round matches with three wins and two defeats. They
beat Vietnam (117-33), Indonesia (83-64) and Myanmar (88-47). Their
other defeat was by the Philippines (79-81).
GOLD RUSH NOT OVER YET
Another strike from snooker and there's more coming
MALAYSIA have not called it quits yet when it comes to potting gold
medals in billiards and snooker.
For the fourth consecutive day, they kept up the hard work; once
again, there was a golden glitter again at the Pang San Keaw Hotel.
Sam Chong and Ng Ann Seng won the snooker doubles for Malaysia's
fourth gold medal in the competition.
Athletes from other teams in the Malaysian contingent were fast
asleep when they snatched a 5-1 victory over the Filipino
combination of Marlon Manalo and Joven Alba in the game which was
played at 3am (4am Malaysian time) yesterday.
The event began at 10am the previous morning and the Malaysians
again passed the test of endurance with flying colours.
"It was a rough outing for us and it was sheer determination to
grab another gold medal for the country that drove us on," Sam
said.
"But the real test was in the semifinals against another
Filipino pair (Luis Saberdo and James Al Ortega). We came back from
the brink of defeat to qualify for the final."
In that match, Sam and Ann Seng trailed 1-3. Luis and James
needed to win one more frame to make it an all-Filipino final. But
Sam and Ann Seng fought back to win the four-hour battle 4-3.
Malaysia's bid in long-drawn battles for more gold medals
continued yesterday in the billiards' nine-ball team and doubles.
The events began at 10am again and team manager Wales Tan made
the wise decision to give Ann Seng a longer rest. Reserve Patrick
Wee came into the team for the first match against Singapore.
But there was no such luxury for the durable Sam. He had to be
up early to help Malaysia win another medal.
"It has been a series of late nights for my players. They are
drained both physically and mentally.
"It's wiser to at least rest Ann Seng because there is still a
long day ahead," Tan said.
Malaysia's challenge in the billiards doubles was carried by Moh
Loon Hong-Elvin Lean and Lee Thye Hong-Lim Yong Ooi.
The gold medal from the opening day's competition came from the
15-ball rotation doubles team of Ann Seng and Liew Kim Fatt.
The snooker team followed up with the second, the 15-ball
rotation team got the third and Sam and Ann Seng delivered the
fourth.
If all goes well, Malaysia will hear about gold medals for the
fifth consecutive time, probably well into the wee hours of the
morning again.
GOLFERS END UP WITH THREE BRONZES
MALAYSIA rounded up their golf challenge with three bronze medals
at the Lamphun Golf Club yesterday.
Both the Malaysian men's and women's team finished third. The
other bronze came from Lim Siew Ai, whose three-day total of 233
put her behind Thailand's Pearwan Udompansa by three strokes.
Filipina Jennifer Rosales had a total of 226 and was the clear
winner for the women's individual gold.
For the team bronze, Siew Ai teamed up with Lim Ai Lian and
Dorothy Ng and they returned a score of 469. The Philippines took
the gold on 459 and Thailand, with a total of 463, won the silver.
The Malaysian men had a four-day total of 909. The members of
the team were Danny Chia, R. Nachimuthu, Rahizam Ramli and Rashid
Ismail.
Thailand took the gold and the Philippines the silver with
scores of 870 and 881 respectively.
BUTTERFLY KING IN NO HURRY TO FLY
Anthony to be patient in establishing himself
HE came out of the cocoon to make a name for himself as the new
Butterfly King. But Anthony Ang will bide his time before spreading
his wings and expanding his kingdom.
The 17-year-old Anthony said yesterday he was not sure where he
was headed in swimming.
"But I know for sure that I still have a long way to go in the
pool," said the Ipoh boy, who won the gold medal in the 100m and
200m butterfly events.
Anthony won the 200m race in 2:05.34 on Monday and was
devastating the following day, taking the shorter event in a Games
record time of 55.83.
But he said the two-gold effort was nothing to shout about.
"There is still a lot of room for improvement. That is my main
concern now -- to continue improving," said Anthony, who trains at
the Bolles School in Florida.
It is only after he left to join one of the best swimming
schools in the US earlier this year that Anthony made rapid
progress.
In January at the Thai Open, he cracked the national 100m
butterfly record with a time of 56.24.
It was a memorable win then because it was his first
international success.
"Most of my other races were in local meets. That victory in
Thailand gave me the confidence to improve further," said Anthony,
who made his international debut at the Asean Schools age-group
championships in 1989.
In Florida, Anthony trains under coaches Gregg Troy and Larry
Shofe.
But the stint in Florida was almost aborted because the Amateur
Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) could not raise the funds to send
him there.
The National Sports Council (NSC) came to the rescue, picking up
the tab before he was granted an International Olympic Council
(IOC) grant, which runs into 1997.
"Sure, I miss a lot of things other people enjoy because of the
training. But I take it as a duty," said Anthony, who is gearing up
for the Atlanta Olympics next year.
He said he did not mind shuttling between his studies and
training.
"It is an enjoyable stint and I have been taking it a step at a
time."
After the Games, Anthony will return to Florida but will return
home next year for the Sukma in Kuantan.
Anthony was the star at the last Sukma, splashing his way to six
gold medals in front of his home fans.
Then, he also picked up the Best Sportsman Award.
OUR GIRLS MAKE IT TO FINAL
MALAYSIA qualified for the women's hockey final by beating Brunei
3-0 in their last preliminary round match at the Maejo Institute of
Agricultural Technology yesterday.
The goals were scored by Che Inan Melati, Rohani Arshad and
Rosmimi Jamalani.
In the playoff for the gold medal tomorrow, Malaysia will face
Thailand, who they beat 4-1 in their opening round-robin match.
Thailand made it to the final by beating defending champions
Singapore 1-0. Chonlanee Jaikong's goal put the Thais in their
first-ever final in women's hockey.
Singapore will play off for the bronze medal against Brunei.
In the men's competition, Malaysia, who have already qualified
for the final, will play against Thailand in their last preliminary
match today.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* ATHLETICS: Patriotism drives Tee Kue to third hammer gold
* ATHLETICS: Golden double
* BILLIARDS: No more gold from the green table
* BADMINTON: Indon shuttlers show prowess
* BILLIARDS: More reward for billiard stars
* SOCCER: Angry fans burn tents, cause a ruckus
* HOCKEY: Malaysia do Thais a favour
* RUGBY: Our boys left with a silver after controversial final
* SEPAKTAKRAW: Singapore won't be a problem
* SHOOTING: Nothing hot from shooters
* TABLE TENNIS: Chin Bee beams into the final
PATRIOTISM DRIVES TEE KUE TO THIRD HAMMER GOLD
PATRIOTISM drove Malaysia's Wong Tee Kue to give his best in his
last attempt as he emerged the winner of the hammer event at the
Main Stadium yesterday.
The 31-year-old police corporal hurled the iron ball to a distance
of 57.04m to pip arch-rival James Wong of Singapore to the gold
medal.
The Singaporean had held the lead with a 56.28m effort registered
in his third attempt.
James went on to post a 56.68m in his last attempt but had to
settle for the silver.
Third was Filipino Jarina Agustin Jr with a distance of 50.20m.
Tee Kue said that each time he went into the circle and turned his
head to begin the throw, his eyes met the Malaysian flag.
"I had no other thoughts on my mind but to win the gold medal for
the country.
"When James took the lead, I must admit I was quite tense," Tee Kue
said.
"I was afraid I would have to surrender the title. But with the
help of God, I did it on my sixth attempt."
The Sarawakian had no complaints about the distance he recorded
although it was way below his national record of 58.52m.
"I could not train intensively because of my work commitments. I
only had three weeks' training prior to the Games.
"I have to thank my coach, Sulaiman Arman, for motivating me to
achieve this success," Tee Kue said.
The gold was his third in a row at the Games; he was also the
champion in Manila and Singapore.
In contrast, Chiang Mai will be a disappointing Games for Mohamed
Zaki Sadri. His reign in the triple jump since 1987 came to end
yesterday.
Mohamed Zaki, who went in to try for his fifth consecutive gold
medal, settled for the silver in 15.81m. The gold went to
Indonesia's Sugeng Jatmiko, who posted 15.92m. Another Indonesian,
Jousen Lekahena, won the bronze in 15.55m.
On Thursday, Mohamed Zaki surrendered his long jump crown to
Indonesia's Reza Agus.
Mohamed Zaki said he had a good jump in his fifth attempt but
landed badly.
"I consider myself unlucky," said a disappointed Mohamed Zaki.
GOLDEN DOUBLE
Rama wins first and last athletics gold
LONG-DISTANCE ace M. Ramachandran is the first Malaysian athlete to
win the country's first and last gold medal in SEA Games athletics.
At the Main Stadium yesterday, the 28-year-old Ramachandran
completed a golden double by winning the 5,000m. On the opening day
of the athletics programme on Sunday, Ramachandran won the 10,000m
race to give Malaysia our first gold medal.
The Johorean was hardly given a fight in the 12-lap race yesterday
and finished in 14:13.82, a good 100m ahead of Indonesia's Siregar
Parluatan, who was timed at 14:37.70.
Although the time was nowhere near his Games record of 14:08.97,
Ramachandran was happy with his effort.
"I was only gunning for the gold. There was also no strong
opposition to push me to clock a better time.
"I also did not want to take any chances in the first half of the
race. I only decided to go on my own after the fifth lap,"
Ramachandran said.
Malaysia also won two silvers in the track events yesterday -- from
the men's and women's 4x400m.
The Malaysian quartet of D. Nadarajan, R. Murugan, S. Vasu and
Romzi Bakar clocked 3:08.93 for the silver.
The Thai team of Chanot Kanchen, Wiroj Sornhirun, Yuttana Tonglek
and Aktawat Sakulchan were too strong and completed the race in a
Games record time of 3:05.47. The previous record was 3:05.58.
The Thai women's quartet were also runaway winners with a time of
3:35.73. Rashidah Othman, N. Manimagalay, R. Letchumi and P.
Kuganeswari finished in 3:42.36 followed by Indonesia (3:45.08).
Malaysia finished the athletics programme with eight golds, 10
silvers and four bronze medals. Thailand topped the standings with
a 21-11-12 haul.
In Singapore in 1993, Malaysia were the top athletics nation with a
14-6-7 tally.
From ag...@nywork4.undp.orgFri Dec 15 20:47:59 1995
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 20:36:54 -1000
From: ag...@nywork4.undp.org
To: na...@hawaii.edu
Subject: The Star: 16-Dec-95 (URL:
http://www.jaring.my/star/saturday/16bill.html)
To get help, just send a mail with the body WWW
Please mail to agor...@mail.w3.org if you have a problem
The Star: 16-Dec-95
[IMAGE][1]Billiards/
Snooker
NO MORE GOLD FROM THE GREEN TABLE
MALAYSIA finished without a gold medal for the first time in the
billiards and snooker competition at the Pang San Keaw Hotel early
yesterday morning.
Moh Loon Hong and Elvin Lean failed to keep their composure in the
billiards double final against the Thai pair of Udom
Khaimuk-Monhkhon Kanflalangaand and settled for the silver.
There was another medal for Malaysia on the fifth day of
competition -- from the efforts of Sam Chong, Liew Kit Fatt and Ng
Ann Seng in the nine-ball team rotation event. Beaten 3-0 by
Thailand in the semifinal, Malaysia beat the Philippines 2-1 in the
playoff for the bronze.
The billiards doubles final again stretched into the wee hours of
the morning. It took about four hours for the Thais to register a
4-0 win.
Elvin especially was a bundle of nerves and fumbled easy shots.
With his partner off-key, Loon Hong's confidence was also shaken
and Udom-Monhkhon went on to win without dropping a single frame.
The Thais took the first frame 150-99 and there was no looking
back. They won the next three frames 150-77, 150-65 and 150-41.
The defeat was a disappointment for the Malaysian, who have yet to
win a gold in billiards. The four gold medals in their bag came
from snooker and pool.
"We have performed above ourself in snooker and pool. But our
success will not be complete without a billiards gold," said team
manager Wales Tan.
"The bigger disappointment was we were the favourites to win the
billiards doubles but failed."
Malaysia failed to win any medal in the billiards team event. They
have one more chance to get a gold with Loon Hong and Elvin going
into the singles tomorrow.
"We still have a chance in the singles. We hope we can do the
country proud this time," Tan said.
Loon Hong, a gold medallist in the event in the 1991 Manila Games,
added that it would be a fitting end to Malaysia's campaign if they
get a 1-2 finish.
On the first day of competition, Malaysia had a 1-2 finish in the
15-rotation ball doubles.
INDON SHUTTLERS SHOW PROWESS
Gold hopes lie with Soon Kit and Kim Hock
RASHID Sidek and Ong Ewe Hock failed to match the Indonesians in
the men's singles semifinals at Gymnasium III yesterday.
Newly-crowned World Grand Prix Finals champions Cheah Soon Kit-Yap
Kim Hock almost joined them on the sidelines for the final today
because of Soon Kit's nagging knee injury.
Rashid was beaten for the second consecutive time this month by
Ardy Wiranata.
The 27-year-old national number one saved six match points before
bowing out 11-15, 10-15 in 50 minutes.
As for Ewe Hock, he was outplayed by a steady Joko Suprianto. The
top seed, who led 14-0 in the first and 7-0 in the second, won the
match 15-7, 15-7 in 37 minutes.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock were made to struggle by Denny Kantono-Antonius,
who beat them in a group match at the World GP Finals, before
booking a final berth. They won 15-11, 6-15, 15-7 in 53 minutes.
"The knee was really bothering me in the second game. It restricted
my movement and also hurt when I had to jump continuously," said
Soon Kit, who went on court with a bandaged right knee.
Soon Kit, who said he could not stretch to pick up the shuttles,
incurred the injury at the Thai Open and aggravated it during the
World GP Finals.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock switched tactics in the third game by playing
more drives and were up 13-2 before Soon Kit's knee started
bothering him again. But Kim Hock played the lead role and they
wrapped up the game.
They will take on top seeds Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky in the
final.
MORE REWARDS FOR BILLIARD STARS
THE Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) do not want
their players to feel short-changed in getting monetary rewards for
winning gold medals.
They will top up the amount handed out by the National Sports
Council (NSC) and Carlsberg to match what the rival countries offer
to their winners. (Singapore and Thailand offer a gold medallist
about RM10,000.)
Under the NSC scheme, an individual gold medal is worth RM5,000.
Carlsberg offersRM2,000.
Our federation will fork out another RM3,000 to show their
appreciation for their players' efforts.
The federation will do the same in topping up cash rewards for team
gold medallists.
President WY Chin said yesterday the total amount the gold
medallists would now get was a "just reward."
"We have worked out the cash awards to make them almost similar to
what the other participating countries give," Chin said.
"The NSC give RM5,000 and another RM2,000 comes from Carlsberg. We
have decided to top it up to a round figure of RM10,000."
He added that the federation would also make winning efforts in
team events worthwhile. They will top up the rewards to RM8,000 to
be shared among the players.
To date, the players have four gold medals to show -- all coming
from team events.
ANGRY FANS BURN TENTS, CAUSE A RUCKUS
ABOUT 1,000 Thai fans, angry that they could not get tickets for
the Thailand-Vietnam football final, burned tents and stormed the
front gate of the sports complex yesterday.
Bernama reported that police blocked off the road in front of the
Chiang Mai complex when frustrated fans created a traffic jam by
burning three tents and protesting outside the main ticket booth.
This is the second time since the SEA Games began on Saturday that
fans have stormed the gates trying to get in.
On Sunday, 5,000 fans pushed, shoved and hurled makeshift missiles
at police until they were allowed into the stadium to see Thailand
play Vietnam in the preliminary rounds.
SEA Games officials said the fans, some of whom arrived at 5am to
buy tickets for the final to be played on Saturday, were upset
because no tickets were left.
"Most of these people would like to be in the football stadium
tomorrow for the final between Thailand and Vietnam," Somchai
Prasertsiriphan, secretary-general of the SEA Games organising
committee, said.
"But the problem is that there are not enough tickets, and the
capacity of the stadium is not enough," he said.
He said six representatives of the protesting fans met SEA Games
officials after the clash, and they agreed to sell one ticket to
each person still waiting outside the gates.
"Before, each person could buy five tickets. That's why they went
so fast. Now we've added 2,000 tickets but each person can buy only
one."
MALAYSIA DO THAIS A FAVOUR
MALAYSIA assured Thailand of a final berth in the men's hockey
competition when they beat the host team by a mere 2-0 margin in
their last preliminary round game.
Despite the defeat, Thailand qualified for the final with a better
goal difference against Singapore as both teams had five points
each.
In the match yesterday, Thailand trooped into the field knowing
they needed a draw or a defeat by not more than four goals against
Malaysia to qualify for the final.
Against Thailand, Mirnawan Nawawi put Malaysia in front in the 20th
while Lee Sien Lam converted a penalty corner in the 56th minute.
-- Bernama
OUR BOYS LEFT WITH A SILVER
AFTER CONTROVERSIAL FINAL
MALAYSIA cried foul again as the Thais won the rugby seven-a-side
final.
But they decided not to make an official protest over the match
that was decided on sudden-death penalty kicks at the Municipal
Stadium yesterday.
The score at full-time was 7-7 from a goal each. Saravut Sitta
scored for Thailand in the fourth minute while Badrul Hisham
Jamaluddin converted a try in the 11th minute.
The score was tied again at 3-3 after the mandatory three kicks in
the shoot-out.
But it was all over for Malaysia in the first kick of the
sudden-death penalty.
Khuzaini Ishak failed to covert it and Sampan Konghamdee made his
kick count to give Thailand the gold medal.
But the issue that caused the Malaysians displeasure was the claim
that Thailand had fielded an "illegal" player.
Coach Alan Pearson was told that Sampan was not among 10 players
listed by Thais.
But Sampan wore the No 18 jersey belonging to another player.
Pearson went to dispute the matter with the organiser but was
stopped by team manager Datuk Zaman Khan.
Zaman reacted angrily when pressmen went to Pearson to seek
clarification on the matter.
"I am the authority for the Malaysian team and I decide what is
best for it.
"There is no protest from Malaysia. You speak to me, not the
coach," said an angry Zaman Khan.
A disappointed Pearson walked away after Zaman stopped him from
making an official protest.
Malaysia will have a chance to avenge their defeat when they play
against the Thais in the 15-a-side final today.
Pearson said many of his key players were down with injuries and
illness and that would affect his line-up for the final.
"The Thais are a good side. But we are definitely a better team.
"I hope we will beat them tomorrow," Pearson said.
SINGAPORE WON'T BE A PROBLEM
DEFENDING champions Malaysia do not anticipate any problems beating
Singapore for a place in the sepaktakraw inter-regu final today.
But their shock defeat by Singapore in the group matches at the
last Games still rankles.
"We should have no problem beating them tomorrow. But we must not
be over-confident," team manager Syed Yazid Syed Abdan said
yesterday.
Yesterday, the regu of Ahmad Jais Baharum, Zabidi Shariff and
Suhaimi Yusof easily beat Laotians Somchai Mahathai, Sone Phet
Chantavong 15-3, 15-6 to finish tops in their group.
"Our second regu beat the Singaporean side in the inter-team. So I
must say we are the favourites. But that alone is not enough," Syed
Yazid said.
Only one player in the Singapore side of the last Games will
feature in their regu. Tekong Nurhisham Adam has teamed up with
newcomers Eddie Abdul Kadir and Raffi Buang.
After losing to Singapore in the group matches two years ago,
Malaysia went on to beat Thailand in the semifinals and Singapore
in the final.
"We will not be making the same mistake. This gold means a lot to
us."
Malaysia lost the inter-team gold medal to Thailand and are
concentrating all their efforts on retaining the inter-regu title.
"We lost to this regu before at the Hanoi International
Championships. Although we beat them after that, any lapse in
concentration on our part will be disastrous," Syed Yazid said.
He added that tekong Jais was also beginning to get his serves
right.
"His service will be important for us tomorrow and the match
against Thailand in the final," Syed Yazid said.
Jais failed to deliver in the team final and Malaysian slumped to a
1-2 defeat by Thailand.
The other semifinal will pit Thailand against Indonesia. Thailand,
powered by their ace tekongs Supap Rungworit and Kittipoom Namsuk,
should have no problem beating the Indonesians.
Yesterday, they opted to use debutant Kittipoom for the match
against Singapore and he duly delivered in their 15-5, 15-8 win.
"We have been studying the Thai tekongs and have been working on
strategies to nullify their service," Syed Yazid said.
He added that Thailand had the advantage of being able to use
either one of their two tekongs, who were instrumental in their
inter-team victory over Malaysia.
NOTHING HOT FROM SHOOTERS
MALAYSIA shot down a silver and bronze on the final day of the
shooting programme yesterday.
The silver came from the men's 50m free rifle prone team event
through Mej Jasni Shaari, Mohamed Sabki Din and Ismail Diran with a
score of 1,748 points. Thailand won the gold with 1,766 points and
the Philippines the bronze with 1,743.
In the individual final, Jasni scored 686.8 points to finish fourth
but he was awarded the bronze. Thailand filled the top three spots
but competition rules allow only the first two to get the medal.
The order of the Thai finish was Samarn Jongsuk (692.6), Suttee
Chaisawat (692.1) and Suparpong Bunyaratavandhn (689.2).
Jasni said Malaysia last won a bronze in the men's 50m free rifle
prone team event 10 years ago and the silver was an achievement for
the team.
He said the International Shooting Union had made several changes
to the target and had increased the level of difficulty for the
shooters.
"The competition is keener now. Thailand and the Philippines have
improved tremendously. In fact, we are still behind time. We don't
even have an indoor shooting range," Jasni said.
Malaysia completed the shooting programme with two golds, three
silvers and five bronzes.
The gold medals came from the skeet with Kaw Fun Ying taking a
double. The trap team also provided two bronzes. The skeet and trap
competitions were held in Bangkok.
The other silver medals were won in the women's 50m standard rifle
event -- Natrawati Mohamed Noot picking up the individual medal and
combining with Suriani Tahir and Noriha Abdul Rani for the team
medal.
The other bronze medals came from the men's 50m free rifle and 10m
air rifle teams.
CHIN BEE BEAMS INTO THE FINAL
She ends 20-year wait by reaching last stage
UNSEEDED Khoo Chin Bee will be the first Malaysian woman to play in
a SEA Games tennis final in 20 years.
Chin Bee showed tenacity to defeat Indonesian Mimma Chernovita 6-3,
6-3 and set up a revenge final meeting against Thailand's Tamarine
Tanasugorn today.
Tamarine, who beat Chin Bee 6-0, 6-1 in the team semifinals, beat
Indonesia's Romano Tedjakusuma 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
Radhika Menon was the last Malaysian to enter a women's singles
final at the 1975 Games in Bangkok. Radhika, who won the singles
silver, and Julie Lim also made it to the women's doubles final.
Radhika, coincidentally, is the sister of national coach Suresh
Menon.
"I am happy to have made it," said Chin Bee, who was lost for words
after winning the battle of baselines.
"I knew she was a steady player, who relies on her lobs. My coach
told me to stay with her and come in whenever I could."
Chin Bee started off aggressively to break Mimma in the first and
fifth games of the first set. But she had problems with her serve,
allowing Mimma to break her service in the seventh game.
"I just choked, especially after missing my first serves," Chin Bee
said
Despite breaking her opponent again in the ninth game to take the
set, Chin Bee never got to grips with her service in the second
set.
Mimma broke her in the first game and started playing deep lobs to
counter Chin Bee's aggressive ground strokes.
"I just could not get to the front as much as I wanted to because
she was sending the ball deep to the baseline," said Chin Bee, who
was a semifinalist at the Philippines satellite last month.
But Mimma found her lobs returned consistently by Chin Bee and
began to make unforced errors. Chin Bee broke her service in the
fourth and sixth games to clinch a historic win.
"I don't want to think too much about tomorrow's match. Every time
I think too much, I bungle it," said Chin Bee, whose main weapon is
her forehand.
But Chin Bee said aggression could help slow down Tamarine.
She added that she had given herself until August next year to
decide whether she really wanted to concentrate fully on tennis.
"The win today has given me some impetus. But I will wait and see
what happens until August," Chin Bee said.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* ATHLETICS: Rama gets NSC invitation
* BOWLING: Another golden strike for Sharon
* CYCLING: This is for you, Mom
* BADMINTON: Malaysian duo make Indons eat their words
* GYMNASTICS: Farah plays second fiddle to Thai
* RUGBY: Field of broken dreams
* SQUASH: Our women are new Squash champions
* SEAPKTAKRAW: Bad line calls blamed for defeat
* HOCKEY: Mirnawan's high on grass
* SILAT: World champ falls to Ahmad
* TENNIS: Chin Bee loses rhythm - and gold
* HOCKEY: A bummer for women as they lose out on penalties
RAMA GETS NSC INVITATION
UNDISPUTED long-distance champion M. Ramachandran has been invited
to join the National Sports Council's (NSC) Commonwealth Games
training project.
His personal coach, R. Jeganathan, said yesterday that the NSC
officials had indicated their eagerness to have Ramachandran in
their full-time training programme at the Maybank Sports Complex in
Bangi.
"It is an interesting proposal. Ramachandran will certainly benefit
by training full-time under qualified foreign coaches.
"He has the potential to be among Malaysia's medal winners in the
1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur," Jeganathan said.
"Ramachandran is also aware of the offer but it's up to him to make
the decision."
This is not the first time the NSC officials had approached
Ramachandran to join their programme. Ramachandran was made an
offer last year but he chose to train in his hometown, Muar.
The 28-year-old Ramachandran proved his mettle by winning both the
10,000m and 5,000m gold medals in Chiang Mai. It was the second
consecutive Games in which Ramachandran won the two events.
Ramachandran, who left for home yesterday, said he had to discuss
the offer with his family first.
ANOTHER GOLDEN STRIKE FOR SHARON
SHARON Low ended the bowling competition just as well as she
started it, with a victory in the women's Masters event in Rayong
yesterday.
The 24-year-old Sharon, who won the singles gold medal on the
opening day on Dec 11, beat Singaporean Grace Young 404-375 in the
stepladder final.
Sharon finished second in the standings after eight blocks with
3,342 pinfalls and had to play against Indonesian Poppy Tambis in
the step-ladder semifinals.
She beat the Indonesian, who came into the stepladder final with
3,295 pinfalls, 180-174.
"I was not under much pressure although the team was looking for me
to get the medal today," Sharon said.
The national squad were expecting to deliver three gold medals but
until the golden strike by Sharon yesterday, they had only one to
show.
"I just went out and played the best I could. It feels good winning
again," Sharon said.
In the final against Grace, who topped the standings after eight
blocks with 3,395 pinfalls, Sharon lost the first game 203-214.
"I was still confident of beating her as I was not too far away
after the first game," said Sharon, who won the five-member team
gold and the doubles silver at the last Games in Singapore two
years ago.
Sharon showed consistency in the second game, knocking down 201
pins against Grace's 161.
"I was bowling great. But Grace had a few splits and she failed to
make the spares," Sharon said.
She added that the Malaysian side could have done better but luck
was not on their side.
"All the others, including the newcomers (Sarah Yap and Lai Kin
Ngoh), bowled very well throughout the competition. But the results
did not show it."
THIS IS FOR YOU, MOM
Seong Hoong fulfils promise to his late mother with gold in 153km road
race
TSEN Seong Hoong fulfilled a promise made to his late mother when
he delivered Malaysia's only gold medal in the cycling programme
yesterday.
Before his mother Mdm Chan Yoke Meng died in September, Seong Hoong
promised her that he would win a gold medal for Malaysia in the SEA
Games.
Seong Hoong was devastating on the Chiang
Mai-Maerin-Samerng-Hangdond Road and was a runaway winner in the
153km individual road race.
He pedalled home in 4'43:31.89 and was almost two kilometres ahead
of Thailand's Meesak Pakchaiphum and the Philippines' Valdez
Placido.
"My mother, who was staying in the United States, had been the
motivating force in my cycling career. Even when she was taken ill,
she would call me regularly to enquire about my progress in
training," Seong Hoong said.
"But unfortunately, she passed away in September. She wasn't here
with me in person but her spirit helped me win the race today. I've
never raced on such a demanding route before.
"I would rate this race as one of the toughest in my career. The
promise to my mother kept me going.
"I also have to thank my coach, Ng Joo Ngan, for his guidance. I
have trained very hard for this event and winning the gold medal is
just reward."
The 26-year-old Castrol-Kuala Lumpur cyclist was involved in an
intense battle with Meesak and Valdez. For 113km, Seong Hoong
wasn't sure that he would win.
"They were leading and I was in the next pack. But I caught up,
overtook them and pedalled hard until the end. But on the downhill
stretch, I had to slow down. It was quite dangerous and any slip
could have ended my dreams," Seong Hoong said.
M. Kumaresan did not start the race because he was not fully fit.
"I'm not physically prepared for the race and I felt it wiser not
to compete," Kumaresan said
The other two Malaysians -- Sharulneeza Razali and Suhaimi Keton --
had to stop midway because of minor mishaps.
Malaysian National Cycling Federation president Haji Abu Samah
Wahab immediately presented RM1,000 to Seong Hoong for his gallant
performance.
MALAYSIAN DUO MAKE INDONS EAT THEIR WORDS
Soon Kit-Kim Hock beat world champs Ricky-Rexy to win gold
CHEAH Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock finally hit it right yesterday.
They ended their four-match losing streak to world champions Ricky
Subagja-Rexy Mainaky and stopped an Indonesian sweep in the
competition.
The newly-crowned World Grand Prix champions made the Indonesians
eat their own words at the Gymnasium III when they carved up a
calculated 15-13, 15-9 victory in 46 minutes.
Ricky-Rexy, who missed the World GP Finals, easily defeated Soon
Kit-Kim Hock in the team competition and the Indonesian camp were
quick to claim that the Malaysians' World GP Finals win was a flash
in the pan.
"We wanted revenge. We were determined to beat them after losing to
them so many times," said a tired but elated Soon Kit.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock had also lost to Ricky-Rexy at the All-England,
World Championships and World Cup.
"Winning here is so much sweeter because we beat the world
champions. It is a good result for us and Malaysia," Soon Kit said.
Soon Kit also had a hand in Malaysia's only gold medal in badminton
at the last Games. Then he partnered Soo Beng Kiang to upset
Ricky-Rexy.
"That time they were not the world champions. Now they had more to
lose," Soon Kit added.
He hoped that the win yesterday would be the beginning of better
things.
"It has been a great year for us, especially winning two major
titles back-to-back at the tail end of the year," Soon Kit saids.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock only started playing together early this year.
They were beaten by Indonesians Gunawan-Bambang Suprianto when they
made their debut at the Korean Open in January.
"After our defeat by Ricky-Rexy in the team event, we sat down and
discussed how to beat them. So we tried out playing low drives
against them today," said Soon Kit, who had to bear the pain of his
injured right knee.
He said forcing the Indonesians to play short rallies also took the
pressure off his knee.
"There was no need for me to bend my knee too much to retrieve
their smashes," Soon Kit said.
Ricky-Rexy took two quick easy points in the first game but the
Malaysians put the pressure almost immediately with their low
drives to the sides.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock led 4-2 only to see the Indonesians pull level.
Both pairs were tied at 4-4 and 6-6 before the Malaysians began to
assert their authority.
With Kim Hock serving low and tight, the Indonesians were forced
into making errors. Soon Kit-Kim Hock led 11-7 and 14-10 before a
series of mistakes from Kim Hock allowed the Indonesians to edge
closer at 13-14. But the Indonesians could not stop Soon Kit-Kim
Hock from taking the game in 23 minutes.
In the second game, Ricky-Rexy cracked under pressure and gave away
easy points. Soon Kit-Kim Hock led all the way to take the gold in
another 23 minutes.
"We are still behind them. Today it was our superior tactics and
determination that helped us win. But we still have some flaws to
iron out in our game," Soon Kit said.
Soon Kit-Kim Hock left for home immediately after the final to
catch another flight to the United States where they are down to
play in a friendly tournament.
"We will only return later this month and may have to skip the
National Grand Prix Finals. We need the rest after playing non-stop
for the last two months," Soon Kit said.
FARAH PLAYS SECOND FIDDLE TO THAI
NATIONAL rhythmic gymnastics champion Farah Zellinah Kemal failed
to prevent a Thai sweep of all the five gold medals at stake in the
individual apparatus competition at the Maejo University Sports
Centre yesterday.
Farah, who won the all-around bronze on Friday, played second
fiddle in the rope, hoop and ball events to Thailand's Aunchaya
Yeamsukon.
Aunchaya won the rope event with 8.850 points, the hoop with 8.800
and the ball with 8.800 points. Farah gathered scores of 8.700,
8.675 and 8.725.
Malaysia also won two bronze medals in the ball and ribbon events
through Seong Siew Wei. In the ball event, she scored 8.450 and in
the ribbon, 8.275.
Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) secretary M. Shanmugarajah
said the Thais were far more experienced and it was an achievement
for Malaysia to have won medals.
"We did not expect to win any medals. The silvers won by Farah are
already good achievements. In terms of development, the Thais also
prepared well and are five years ahead of us," Shanmugarajah said.
"We are only in the process of developing our gymnasts while the
Thais have begun to reap the fruits of getting started five years
ago."
He added that Malaysia only laid the groundwork early this year to
prepare the gymnasts for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala
Lumpur.
They enlisted the services of Bulgarian coach Katerina Assenova in
February.
FIELD OF BROKEN DREAMS
Malaysia pounded 43-0 by Thais in rugby final
THAILAND gave Malaysia a thrashing in the final of the 15-a-side
rugby competition at the Municipal Stadium yesterday.
And the star in Thailand's 43-0 victory was Suravut Sutta, who
single-handedly destroyed the Malaysian dream to meet their
one-gold target.
Two days ago, Thailand needed a shootout to beat Malaysia in the
seven-a-side competition.
But yesterday, the Thais did not allow the Malaysians any room to
get into the game.
Suravut started the rout of the Malaysians with a drop kick in the
15th minute. He did it again in the 20th minute to give Thailand a
6-0 lead.
Thailand went into half-time 12-0 up with Suravut delivering a
penalty and a drop kick.
The Thais resumed play eager to increase the scoreline.
And it did not take them long to score. Suravut again sent in a
drop kick in the 44th minute to put the score at 15-0.
There was no stopping the Thais from scoring two goals, a try, two
penalties and a drop kick.
Malaysian coach Alan Pearson said he was disappointed with the
result.
"It was a one-sided match and the Thais scored through drop kicks.
But my players were really affected by the adverse publicity,"
Pearson said.
"Team morale was quite low but I feel the players have a lot of
potential and will be able to improve their performance."
OUR WOMEN ARE NEW SQUASH QUEENS
THE Malaysian women are the new squash queens of the region. They
dethroned two-time champions Singapore 2-1 to take the inter-team
gold medal in Pattaya yesterday.
However, the men failed to dislodge Singapore, losing 1-2 in the
final.
But the men can take comfort in ending Singapore's stranglehold on
the individual event. Kenneth Low defeated Peter Hill for the
individual title on Dec 11.
"Both finals could have gone either way. We are happy with the
results and the performance of our players," assistant coach
Raymond Arnold said.
He said they predicted a two-gold haul and achieving it augured
well for the game in Malaysia.
In the women's final, Carrie Yeo went in first and was beaten 0-9,
6-9, 2-9 by reigning Asian champion Mah Li Lian.
The 14-year-old Leong Siu Lynn, making her debut in a senior
international event, outplayed Millie Moy 9-6, 9-2, 9-6 to make it
1-1.
"She was the star of the side and Kuan Choy Lin took it from there
for the win. Choy Lin had a bad tournament but saved her best for
the final," Raymond said.
Choy Lin beat Della Lee 9-3, 9-6, 9-1 for the winning point.
Cramps suffered by national captain Tan Tian Huat put paid to the
men's title hopes.
Tian Huat went in against Zainal Abidin with the tie level at 1-1.
He was struck by cramps in both thighs when the match was level at
9-7, 1-9, 0-9, 10-9, 2-2.
"He fought hard but was unable to move and lost the last game 2-9,"
Raymond said.
Earlier in the first match, Kenneth gave Malaysia a 1-0 lead with a
hard-fought 9-2, 10-8, 5-9, 6-9, 9-8 win over Peter.
Michael Soo, however, was beaten 5-9, 5-9, 10-8, 7-9 by Anthony
Chua in the second match.
BAD LINE CALLS BLAMED FOR DEFEAT
FOR the first time in 10 years, Malaysia will have no gold medal
from sepaktakraw.
Yesterday, the reigning world champions were beaten by an in-form
Singapore in the inter-regu semifinal at the Gymnasium III.
Malaysia were also beaten by Thailand in the inter-team final on
Wednesday. And they will probably have to face a hostile reception
when they return home for their inability to maintain Malaysia's
grip on the event.
Ahmad Jais Baharum, Zabidi Shariff and Suhaimi Yusof were left
dumbstruck by the excellent teamwork of Singapore's Nurhisham Adam,
Eddie Abdul Karim and Raffi Buang. The Singaporeans won 15-11,
10-15, 15-7 in 83 minutes.
Thailand overcame Indonesia 15-10, 15-6 in 52 minutes in the other
semifinal.
The Malaysian camp blamed bad line calls for their side's jittery
performance, but nothing can take away the fact that Singapore
deserved the victory.
"We were confident of beating Singapore. But the bad line calls
affected our players' concentration," said team manager Syed Yazid
Syed Abdan.
He added that the Thai umpire spoiled the day for Malaysia when he
failed to make the right decisions.
"But I must admit that our boys also failed to show the match
temperament needed to win. They allowed themselves to be affected
by outside factors," Syed Yazid said.
The defeat by a Singaporean regu was Malaysia's second this year.
They also lost in the preliminary rounds of the Hanoi
International.
"We beat them in the final in Hanoi but today they played even
better than before. Everything they did went right," Syed Yazid
said.
And the man who constructed the Malaysian defeat was tekong
Nurhisham, Singapore's sole survivor from the last Games.
Two years ago, Nurhisham helped Singapore defeat Malaysia in the
preliminary round match and steered his side into the final.
Nurhisham's swift service often caught the Malaysian regu napping.
They led 8-1 in the first game mainly because of his effectiveness
while Malaysia suffered because of Jais' failure to deliver with
equal potency.
Malaysia staged a strong comeback to draw level at 9-9 but was
unable to make much headway after that.
"I told them not to be affected by the umpire's decision and they
showed what they could do in the second game," Syed Yazid said.
They raced to a 10-3 lead but found the points hard to come by
after that. Singapore's killer Eddie was lethal with his kicks and
it did not take them long to narrow the gap to 8-10.
But Malaysia got some lucky breaks and forced the rubber after a
27-minute battle.
"I just don't know what happened in the third. They were in total
disarray," Syed Yazid said.
Singapore led 6-1 before the Malaysian staged another comeback to
tie the score at 7-7. But at the crucial moment it was Singapore,
who showed stronger heart. They wrapped up the match without
dropping any more points in 35 minutes.
When they lost to Thailand in the inter-team final, the Malaysians
were in tears. Yesterday, they were left shell-shocked.
"We are prepared to face the consequences of the defeat. We have to
concede that we were weaker and have to start preparing for the
next Games," said Syed Yazid.
MIRNAWAN'S HIGH ON GRASS
Player scores all four goals in hockey final
IT was an easy men's hockey gold for Malaysia with Mirnawan Nawawi
scoring all four goals in the 4-1 win over Thailand at Maejo
Institute of Agricultural Technology yesterday.
Mirnawan scored two goals in each half and finished as the top
scorer of the competition.
The 24-year-old Mirnawan was a constant threat to the Thai defence.
He put Malaysia ahead in the 16th minute off a penalty corner.
Mirnawan rounded goalkeeper Mongkol Piewxom before putting in his
second goal in the 34th minute.
The second half was all Malaysia's and Mirnawan scored in the 48th
and 55th minutes.
Thailand, who edged Singapore on goal difference to qualify for
their first-ever final, were hardly a match. But they managed to
steal a consolation goal two minutes before time through Nattitat
Nuntasukon, off a penalty corner.
Coach Stephen van Huizen said the boys played to instructions and
did not commit any silly mistakes.
"They did not give the Thais any chance to settle down. I think the
quick penalty corner goal took them by surprise. They never
recovered from that early goal," van Huizen said.
"If the match was played on artificial turf, we would have won by a
bigger margin."
Van Huizen added that the youngsters in the team had benefitted
from the tournament. He said the presence of senior players,
Mirnawan among them, helped the younger players gain valuable
experience.
He said the team needed a top forward of Minarwan's calibre to
guide them in international competitions. The Games was a good
practice ground for M. Kaliswaran and M. Sivadass Naidu, who are
preparing for the Junior Asia Cup next year.
Mirnawan was happy to have found his scoring touch again after a
lean spell in international competitions.
"This Games helped me regain my confidence. I was feeling a little
down after the Azlan Shah tournament because I scored only one
goal. I feel better now," Mirnawan said.
"I hope this will enable me to get back in the national team for
the Olympics qualifying rounds in Barcelona next month."
Singapore took the bronze by beating Brunei 3-0.
Malaysia: Mohamed Nasihin Nubli (Ikhsan Idrus), Tai Beng Hai, Zam
Zam Mohamed Ali, Charles David, M. Jeyamaran, Lee Sien Lam, S.
Kuhan, M. Kaliswaran, Sivanada Prasad, Minarwan Nawawi, M. Sivadas
Naidu.
Thailand: Mongkol Piewxom, Kawee Pongpon, Kriengsak Ladpala, Krit
Tongon, Prachob Sengsan, Prasit Pleechompoo, Nattitat Nuntasokon,
Chaitai Kanchanapan, Napuzzkorn Srisuven, Chanyut Seangnest, Suthin
Phiposod (Opas Ospanon).
WORLD CHAMP FALLS TO AHMAD
Zakri kicks to second gold
AHMAD Faisal Omar floored a world champion to win a gold medal in
the silat competition at the Lamphun Gymnasium yesterday. Malaysia
also won another gold medal through skipper Zakri Ibrahim.
Ahmad provided the extra glitter for Malaysia in an otherwise
disappointing day.
The 27-year-old lance-corporal with a commando unit in Malacca
fought courageously to shock world champion Zakria Said of
Indonesia. He won the men's 80-85kg bout 5-0.
Zakri, the most senior exponent in the team, put his experience to
good use and easily beat Indonesian Utoyo Trias Poso 4-1 in the
75-80kg category.
Malaysia had four exponents in the final bouts. But junior fighters
Suhaidi Chin and Afandi Hossin had to settle for the silver in the
45-50kg and 55-60kg divisions respectively.
Ahmad said he was confident of winning the gold medal even before
he went into the arena.
"I had nothing to lose in the bout and I was all fired up to take
on the world champion," Ahmad said.
"That put me in the right frame of mind and I just went flat out
for a victory. I am happy I succeeded and this gold will be the
most memorable one."
Malaysia also had five bronze medals from losing semifinalists
Hamidah Jaafar, Zamzuri Abdullah, Haslin Saharuddin, Aslinda Ahmad
and Norfiza Ahmad.
Silat's total haul of two golds, two silvers and five bronzes was
well below their target. They had projected three gold medals while
the National Sports Council gave them a four-gold target.
Team manager Zaihan Mohamed Isa was not disappointed at all with
his team's performance.
"We did not meet our target but our achievement here is still
better than the last Games in Singapore. There were more silvers
and bronzes," Zaihan said.
CHIN BEE LOSES RHYTHM -- AND GOLD
THE occasion of playing on the centre court got the better of Khoo
Chin Bee in the women's singles final yesterday.
Chin Bee, the first Malaysian woman in 20 years to make the final,
bowed out 2-6, 1-6 in just over one hour to Thailand's Tamarine
Tanasugorn.
"I am really disappointed with my game today," said the 18-year-old
Chin Bee, who played in her first major international final.
Tamarine, the Wimbledon Junior Open runner-up, used her lethal
backhand and strong groundstrokes to nullify Chin Bee's game.
However, it was Chin Bee who drew first blood by breaking her
opponent's first serve of the match.
"Even though I broke her serve, I never really got into my rhythm
until the closing stages of the second set," said Chin Bee, a
quarter-finalist at the last Games.
Tamarine steadied herself after the opening blow and broke Chin Bee
in the very next game. Two costly double-faults in the fourth and
sixth games saw Chin Bee failing to hold serve again.
Chin Bee saw a glimpse of hope when she broke Tamarine in the next
game.
The Thai had to seek treatment for a sore right arm but it did not
affect her play and she clinched the set by breaking Chin Bee's
serve again.
"She was just too quick. She took her shots early and I was always
half a step behind," Chin Bee admitted.
Tamarine raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set, breaking Chin Bee
in the second and fourth games.
"The court was also much slower and I had difficulty timing my
volleys," Chin Bee said.
A BUMMER FOR WOMEN AS THEY LOSE OUT ON PENALTIES
IT WAS another heartbreaking outing for the women's hockey team.
In the final against Thailand at the Maejo Institute of
Agricultural Technology yesterday, there was no goal on the board
at full time.
And the gold medal had to be decided by a penalty shootout which
Malaysia lost 1-2.
Gan Lai Ling, who was the goalkeeper when Malaysia also lost to
Singapore in a similar situation at the last Games, blamed her
teammates for the defeat.
"It's not right to blame me for the defeat. They have to be fair to
me. I saved two of the Thai flicks. My teammates failed to put in
their attempts," Lai Ling said.
"There was nothing more I could do. I'm really disappointed with
them.
"I feel they were not prepared mentally for the shootout. They lost
their concentration and simply crumbled during the tense situation.
"It's indeed sad to lose the gold medal that way. For me, this is
the second time I've had to settle for the silver."
It was a surprise defeat for Malaysia, who went into the match with
the record of having beaten Thailand 4-1 in the preliminary round.
The Thais were aggressive from the first whistle and camped in the
Malaysian half for most the game. It was Lai Ling's superb
anticipation that denied the Thais goals.
Malaysia had only one good look at the Thai goal in the 31st
minute. But Che Inan Melati missed a sitter from the edge of the D.
Thai goalkeeper Tananya Klumbracha turned heroine in the shoot-out
-- saving three flicks taken by Rosmimi Jamalini, Norazimah Yusof
and Nelfianthy Mohamed Rashyid. Another flick by Kueylani Che
Ibrahim hit the post.
Thailand converted their attempts through Benjamas Yuneyong and
Nonyang Jhoanmar while the lone Malaysian scorer was Che Inan.
Skipper Rosmimi started the rot for Malaysia with a feeble push,
which a goalkeeper of any standard would have saved. Kueylani put
much power in her flick but the ball hit the post.
Tananya read Norazimah's and Nelfianthy's flicks well.
Malaysian coach Michael Engelblik said: "It was a lottery. The
Thais played well. We gave them a lot of room and they were the
better side. We were lucky to get a shootout."
In the playoff for third place, Singapore beat Brunei 2-0 on
penalty flicks.
Malaysia: Gan Lai Ling, Nelfianthy Rashyid, Roop Kaur, Roahayah
Rizal, Rosmimi Jamalini, Azini Ismail, Norazimah Yusof, D.
Devaleela, Mary Along, Che Inan Melati, Che Kueylani Ibrahim.
Thailand: Tananya Klumpracha, Jantar Puarpiputh, Benajamas
Yungyong, Ratanaporn Songpranam, Itthi Yutharak, Autthaporan
Sangkawarn, Somkhoun Siriwat, Chonlanee Jaikong, Nonyou Jhonmar,
Ampun Somdee, Nuen Gritai Srathongvian.
Sooraj Nair
* POSTED WITH PERMISSION *
* Copyright Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd *
* The Star Online, http://www.jaring.my/star/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* SEA GAMES: Failure at 'kiddy' games
* SEPAKTAKRAW: Defeat of the regus a dent in national pride
* TEAKWONDO: Sarah aimsfor bigger kicks in taekwondo
* ATHLETICS: On the right track
* SOCCER: A big kick backwards
* SNOOKER: Into the pool hall of fame
* BOXING: Sapok gets last medal
FAILURE AT 'KIDDY' GAMES
Miserable outing does not augur well for 1998
EVEN the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has
expressed his disappointment with Malaysia's performance in the
18th SEA Games, which came to a close in Chiang Mai last night.
The SEA Games is among the lowest levels of international
competition in the world.
And with Malaysia hosting the 1998 Commonwealth Games, which is a
much higher level of competition, and the Government pumping in
millions towards preparing athletes for it, what the national
contingent achieved is far from satisfactory.
Malaysia took 31 golds, 48 silvers and 68 bronzes to be ranked
fourth in the 10-nation Games. The percentage of their share of the
medals was not very impressive.
It is sad to see Malaysia still basking in past glories while the
other countries are making rapid progress.
The National Sports Council (NSC) set a 50-gold target while the
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) had expected 40.
Except for athletics and a surprise package from snooker and
billiards, most of the other sports failed to perform up to
expectations.
If not for the golden tales written by athletics and snooker and
billiards, Malaysia would have fallen in the same class as Vietnam,
Singapore and Myanmar.
While snooker and billiards were the only ones to surpass their
target, the others were pointing their fingers at each other and
looking for scapegoats for their dismal performances.
For the third consecutive Games, football was a sham. Again the
team failed to get into the semifinals.
Sepaktakraw was a big letdown and the regus will return home for
the first time in 10 years without a gold medal.
Cycling also failed to deliver. Except for Tsen Seong Hoong, who
won the only gold for Malaysia in the 153km road races, the others
played second fiddle to either the Thais or Indonesians.
Sharon Low was the saving grace in the bowling competition. There
was also a surprise from Au Li-yen in artistic gymnastics but there
was no glitter from the rhythmic gymnasts.
Rugby gained more media attention for the wrong reasons.
Sqaush, shooting, badminton, equestrian, swimming, taekwondo and
silat olahraga delivered what was expected of them.
The women's football team raised hope for their game. The team who
almost did not make it because of a lack of funds played with lots
of fire and won a silver medal.
Looking for scapegoats won't help Malaysian sports. The wise move
would be for the NSC and all the sports associations to ensure that
there will be a respectable show in the next outing in Jakarta.
The Commonwealth Games Project will head for failure if results in
the 19th SEA Games do not show a marked improvement over Chiang
Mai.
DEFEAT OF THE REGUS A DENT IN NATIONAL PRIDE
IF FOOTBALL was a matter of prestige, sepaktakraw was a matter of
national pride.
But sadly, Malaysia, who had always taken sepaktakraw as an
important medal sport, returned home without a gold medal. It was
the first time in 10 years that they failed to be a winner.
Malaysia were beaten by Thailand in the inter-team final and put on
another inept performance in the inter-regu semifinals, crashing
out to Singapore.
Being the world champions in the event and failing to live up to
the billing is a big blow to the Malaysian ego.
Malaysia have long regarded the chase for medals in this sport as a
two-horse race between them and Thailand. But they stayed blind to
the growing threat from other teams.
The modern trend of the game has moved towards fast and hard
tekongs. But Malaysia continue to play with outdated spinners.
SARAH AIMS FOR BIGGER KICKS IN TAEKWONDO
TAEKWONDO exponent Sarah Chung's fight for honours in the
international scene will not end with the SEA Games in Chiang Mai.
Sarah made it clear after winning her fourth consecutive
heavyweight gold medal that she wanted to win a medal in the World
Championships in Brazil next year.
"I am not about to stop yet. There is more for me. Although I have
to concentrate on my studies, I will not give up until I win a
World Championships' medal," Sarah said.
"All my other plans have to be put on hold. I want to prove that a
Malaysian can also make it to the top. I always tell my friends
that we should set a high target and not be happy with only the SEA
Games."
Sarah has just completed her Masters in Sports Psychology in
Canada. In the two years in Canada, Sarah spent about RM3,000 from
her own pocket money to enrol in a private club -- Sayed Bajem
Taekwondo Academy -- to train under an Olympic silver medallist.
Sarah also competed in several local competitions during her stay
there.
"I don't need a coach or a manager to push me. It is my own desire
to come up in life. I hope others will also show the same kind of
interest to excel in sport," the 27-year-old Sarah said.
"In fact, my parents have also given me their blessing to
concentrate on taekwondo. They have also left it to me to pick my
life partner. And who knows, I might find a sportsman."
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Youngsters' performance shows a lot of promise
THERE was a huge dose of comfort in Malaysia's eight-gold haul in
athletics.
They had fewer golds than the target of 10 and 12 set by the
Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) and National Sports Council
(NSC) respectively.
But the performance of several youngsters showed that Malaysia are
on the right track for more international honours.
Despite the odds against them, the youngsters more than proved
themselves with some gutsy performances. Among them were Loo Kum
Zee (high jump), R. Mogan (10km walk), S. Vasu (800m), P. Arumugam
(1,500m), D. Nadarajan (400m), Annastasia Karen (5km walk) and P.
Kuganeswari (400m).
It is now up to the relevant authorities to provide them with
proper guidance for the next SEA Games, the 1998 Asian Games and
the Commonwealth Games.
But these athletes have a part to play themselves. They should not
let success get to their head. They may just fade away.
They should take their performances in Chiang Mai as motivation to
strive for excellence beyond being the best in South-East Asia.
Experienced campaigners -- M. Ramachandran (10,000 and 5,000m), Nur
Herman Majid (110m hurdles), Mohamed Yazid Imran (javelin) and Wong
Tee Kue (hammer) -- brought back gold medals again.
But it was not to be for Mohamed Zaki Sadri. His reign in both the
long and triple jump came to end.
Sprinter Azmi Ibrahim has to wait another day to claim the crown as
the fastest man in South-East Asia. He was second in the 100m and
third in the 200m.
There was also disappointment for shot putter Mohamed Nazar Abdul
Rahim, who had to settle for the silver medal.
And there was heartbreak for Watson Nyambek, who had to withdraw
from the 100m after suffering a hamstring injury in the 200m.
It would be wise of the MAAU and NSC to send the talented Watson
for a thorough medical check-up. He has a lot of potential and it
will be a waste if his career is stopped short.
Women hurdlers Hii Siew Ngiik and Tan Kim Chen made up the numbers
in their events. Siew Ngiik, especially, could have delivered if
she had dipped below 14 seconds.
All the athletes' exploits were marred by an ugly incident at the
Games Village. Shot putter Petira Ghani and sprinter Mohamed Sad
Arshad were sent home because of misbehaviour.
Petira threw a bottle and Mohamed Sad dropped a rubbish bin from
their third-floor apartment at other athletes training below.
A BIG KICK BACKWARDS
Football the biggest letdown
THEY came in with fanfare but went out with a whimper. Football and
sepaktakraw rank among the biggest disappointments for Malaysia at
the Games.
Football, being the most popular and glamorous sport in the
country, was nothing short of pathetic. And for the third
consecutive Games, they let the whole nation down.
In the opening match, Vietnam outfoxed them 2-0. And when Indonesia
beat them 3-0 in their third match, their campaign ended on the eve
of the official opening of the Games on Dec 9.
Malaysian football continues to stay in a rut, internationally,
even as the Malaysian League continues to prosper financially.
National coach Claude Le Roy should be blamed for Malaysia's early
exit -- for making the blunder in his defence line-up against
Vietnam. It was arguably the worst backline fielded by Malaysia for
a major international outing.
In most professional teams, an error of that sort would get the
coach the sack.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) must also share the blame for their choice
to give precedence to the professional league rather than thinking
about a national team that can provide decent results.
The Games is not about experimenting with a new side. The games is
all about medals and the FAM must read this clearly. And as the
Thais put it, the football gold medal is the "gold above all".
INTO THE POOL HALL OF FAME
Sam rules the table with four-gold haul
FROM amusement centre to Hall of Fame -- that's the story of Sam
Chong, the Malaysian superstar of the 18th SEA Games.
The 33-year-old Sam won all the four snooker titles at stake. And
the feat made him the biggest contributor to Malaysia's haul of 31
gold medals.
Coming from a man whose right hand was severely injured in an
accident when he was seven, it is an incredible achievement!
"I was seven then and like all children did things for kicks.
Living in Cheras Baru, which was then a rubber estate, I played
with a latex sheet roller and four of my fingers got caught in the
machine," Sam recalled.
"I pulled my hand away but the bones at my fingertips were crushed.
I was lucky it was an unthreaded roller. I was in agony for five
months recovering from the injury."
The damage to his fingers did not stop Sam from holding the cue for
a perfect aim. He was a teenager when he went to an amusement
centre in Cheras Baru, Kuala Lumpur, to pick up the rudiments of
the game.
"I was in my teens and was attracted to the amusement centre. It
was easy for me to gain access because the centre was just a few
doors away from my father's coffee shop," Sam said.
"They had several small billiard tables there and with my
neighbours, we spent countless hours there. We had to pop in 20 sen
coins for each game."
Sam did not realise that sojourns to the arcade would kick-start a
fantastic career. It was his father, Pak Cheong, who spotted his
talent.
"My father saw my talent and told me that if I had so much interest
in the game, why not give it a shot on internationally recognised
tables," Sam said.
"He told me that was the only way I could improve and get to play
for the country one day."
Sam went into serious training in 1986 at his place of work, Gold
Dash Snooker Club in Kuala Lumpur. It did not take him long to find
success. He became a champion in 1987, winning the international
Gold Dash Masters Open title.
Sam left for Johor to join the Golden Horse Club in 1988 and went
on to win four national titles -- in 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995. He
also won the Asian Championship in Jakarta in 1990.
"Those were memorable moments. But none beats this one. This is my
best-ever competition and SEA Games," Sam said.
His achievement at the Pang San Keaw Hotel in Chiang Mai made the
snooker and billiards players the stars of the Malaysian
contingent.
The sport raked in six golds, three silvers and three bronzes --
well above the two and three-gold targets set by themselves and the
National Sports Council (NSC) respectively.
Penang veteran Moh Loon Hong put the icing on the cake for the team
early yesterday morning, when he won the last event of the
competition. He was crowned the billiards singles champion.
Until Loon Hong's victory, a billiards gold was missing from the
Malaysian golden pie.
SAPOK GETS LAST MEDAL
BOXER Sapok Biki was the last Malaysian medallist of the 18th SEA
Games and, as expected, it was a silver.
Sapok went up against the formidable Somrot Kamsing of Thailand in
the 48kg final at the Gymnasium II yesterday and lost on points.
From the first bell, the Thai threw a flurry of punches at the
Malaysian to take firm control of the bout.
Sapok, however, was not disappointed at all with the defeat.
"It was a silver and it was an achievement for me to win it in my
debut at the Games.
"I am satisfied that I gave my best," Sapok said.