Sasaran MOM tercapai

ATLET Malaysia meneruskan persembahan membanggakan di persada sukan antarabangsa apabila mencapai sasaran ditetapkan Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) pada Sukan Pantai Asia di Muscat, Oman yang berakhir kelmarin.

Setiausaha Kehormat MOM, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi berkata, kontinjen negara diketuai Datuk James Selvaraj berjaya meraih satu emas dan satu perak pada edisi kedua temasya itu.

“Mereka mencapai sasaran satu emas. Ini sesuatu menggembirakan kerana tahun ini memperlihatkan kecemerlangan atlet bermula di Sukan Olimpik Remaja (Singapura), Sukan Komanwel (India) dan Sukan Asia (China).
“Pada tiga temasya sukan terbesar, kita berjaya mencapai sasaran ditetapkan malah pencapaian Sukan Komanwel India berjaya melepasi sasaran amat membanggakan,” katanya.

Pada temasya berlangsung di Oman itu, pingat emas tunggal negara disumbang Mr Universe lima kali, Sazali Abdul Samad (gambar) melalui acara bina badan kategori lightweight 70 kilogram. Kemudian, atlet pelayar remaja, Muhamad Amirul Shafiq Md Jais menyumbang pingat perak.

Sebanyak 43 negara menyertai edisi kedua temasya itu dengan Thailand muncul juara keseluruhan apabila mengutip 15 emas 10 perak 11 gangsa manakala Malaysia menduduki tempat ke-12 daripada 26 negara yang berjaya meraih pingat.

Kontinjen negara pada edisi kedua ini hanya seramai 19 atlet dan menyertai tiga daripada 14 jenis sukan dipertandingkan iaitu bina badan, pelayaran dan luncur air.

Pada edisi pertama di Bali, Indonesia dua tahun lalu, Malaysia berjaya meraih dua emas, dua perak dan enam gangsa.

Dazzling ceremony brings Asian Beach Games to a close

 16 December 2010 

 

MUSCAT, 16 Dec. – A dazzling closing ceremony brought the 2nd Asian Beach Games to a close on Thursday evening as the reins were handed over to the Chinese city of Haiyang. 

"You have shined with us and caused Muscat 2010 to shine," Habib bin Abdulnabi Macki, the director general of the Muscat Asian Beach Games Organising Committee, told a packed stadium at Al Musannah Sports City.

"With this shining achievement we wish the entire Asian continent yet further flourishing and prosperity.
"We are very happy that Muscat 2010 has achieved its targets and fulfilled the promise of its slogan, ‘Together we Shine’."

After Oman had relinquished its beach soccer title to the United Arab Emirates and gold medals were decided in six other sports, the evening festivities began.

Fireworks lit the sky and crowds were enthralled by the energetic display of song, dance and Omani culture.
Spectators were entertained by a mixed Asian dance performance and a fire show by a Russian group.

Malaysian singer Dayang Nurfaizah and Omani hip hop artist Sham delighted the audience with a duet of Let’s All Unite, while about 100 children performed a special rendition of the game’s theme song, Together We Shine.

Haiyang will host the 3rd Asian Beach Games in June 2012.

Waterskiing is child's play for seven year old Aaliyah

MUSCAT, 13 Dec, – At the age of five when most children her age are just learning to swim, Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah was twisting and contorting her body as it skimmed across the surface of the water at 25 km/h.

Now seven, she will line up against people nearly five times her age at the 2010 Muscat 2nd Asian Beach Games waterski competition in the Trick Skiing category at the Qantab Beach.

"I love how challenging it is and I spend all my time training. I am on school holidays at the moment but I have been at the lake nearly every day practicing.

"All my friends at school say I’m good and they want to try waterskiing as well," she said.

She was introduced to the sport by her father, Hanifah Yoong, who runs a waterskiing club in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, and followed in the footsteps of her half-sister Phillipa Clare Yoong Li Foong, who still competes and doubles as Aaliyah’s coach.

"The preparation for Aaliyah is quite different as generally kids are quite flighty and get distracted very easily, so it’s important to try to get them concentrating on the competition right before they go out." said Phillipa.

Aaliyah runs a tight schedule of training in the morning before attending school in the afternoon, but her coach doesn’t feel her sporting aspiration interferes with her education.

"She is pretty balanced although after school she still has homework. She does not get to bed until late, which is not ideal, but I think it works all right."

Aaliyah will face off against a strong field, including Asian champion Song Yufei (CHN), as the waterski qualifying begins on Tuesday before medals are decided on Wednesday.

The other Malaysian competitors are Hadri Ifran Mohamed Rahaziah (trick skiing), Shamal Norman Abdul Rahman (Wakeboarding) and Hanis Azemi (trick skiing).

Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah on her water ski.


Malaysian Water Ski team with Aaliyah young Hanifah, third from the right. Some of the others skiers in the photograph are, from left, Hanis Azemi (trick skiing), Phillipa Yoong Li Foong, Alex Yoong and Hadri Ifran Mohamed Rahaziah (trick skiing) fifth from left.

2nd Asian Beach Games 2010, Muscat : Radial Open Laser

MUSCAT, Dec 13: Fisherman’s son, Muhamad Amirul Shafiq Md Jais was both elated and sad when he had to settle for the silver medal in the final Medal Race 10 in the Radial Open Laser event in the Muscat 2010 2nd Asian Beach Games at the Al Musannah Sport City today.

The 16-year-old Form Four student of SMK Kelibang, Langkawi, went into Race 9 this afternoon as the joint leader with Thailand’s Natthawut Paenyaem and needed to finish ahead of the Thai in the final two races today.

Amirul who hails from Kampong Pergi Acheh in Pasir Gudang in Johor where the sea has been life since five years-old when he followed his father out to the sea to catch fish, had indeed done extremely well here in Muscat as he had come with no targets, but just gain experience.

Only competing in his third international meet after having a bronze medal in his debut outing in the Asian Youth Games last year in Singapore and then competing in the Youth Olympics in Singapore too where he did not win anything, Shafiq who turned 16 on Oct 18, surprised many of the more senior and experienced sailors with his performance.

Today going out to the seas, Shafiq looked nervous and probably that affected his start for Race 9 when he was caught in the crowd and had a poor start trailing from 15th spot out of the 24 sailors.

But the determined Shafiq did well to catch up finish eighth, but with Natthawut Paenyaem finishing ahead in fourth spot, Shafiq had to finish first in the final Medal race.

Natthawut had different ideas and was in his element to finish first confirm the gold medal despite his teammate and favourite, Asian Games gold medallist Keerati Bualong, having fallen out of the race after two DNF (Did Not Finish).

The bronze medal was won by Pakistan’s Najeeb Ullaah Khan. Malaysia’s other sailior Harisfabillah Muhamat finished fifth.

“I am happy that I won a silver medal competing against more experienced and older sailors,” said Shafiq who is a product of the Sailing Academy in Langkawi where he is based.

“But I sad that with the gold medal so close at hand, I fumbled in the final two Races. I was a little nervous and the poor start in race 9 certainly did not help.

“However, overall I suppose I am happy because I was not even expected to win a medal here and was only here to gain experience.

“The experience and my performance here has certainly boosted my confidence and I intend use this achievement as a platform for better things in the future,” said Shafiq the eldest in a family of six.

Shafiq said that it is his target to win the Asian Games gold medal in Incheon in four years time.

Team Manager, LT Chin In said that Shafiq’s performance only underlines that Malaysia has potential young sailors who are Asian class.

“Shafiq is the youngster sailor here in the fleet of 24 and the small built too (5’2). But he has proven he has what it takes to excel,” said Chin.

Chef-de-Mission, Dato James Selvaraj, said Shafiq as a schoolboy has certainly done the nation proud with his achievement against a top Asian class field.

“Shafiq may have missed winning the gold medal, but his performance and winning the silver medal is still a golden performance considering his age and inexperience,” said James.

“He had indeed done the nation proud with his outstanding performance and was the talking point among the experienced sailors.”

This afternoon to witness Shafiq’s performance at the Al Mussanah Sports City was James and Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. M. Jegathesan, Deputy President of Olympic Council of Malaysian and also the Chairman of the Medical Commission of Olympic Council of Asia.

Sazali harapan pingat emas

SELVARAJ (tengah) menyerahkan Jalur Gemilang kepada Sazali pada majlis penyerahan di Wisma MOM, Kuala Lumpur semalam.

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KONTINJEN Malaysia meletakkan harapan pada atlet bina badan negara, Sazali Abd. Samad untuk merangkul pingat dalam temasya Sukan Pantai Asia Kedua di Oman dari 8 hingga 16 Disember ini.
Sazali tersenarai sebagai atlet tunggal skuad kebangsaan dalam acara 70 kilogram itu pada temasya kali kedua ini.

Untuk rekod, temasya Sukan Pantai Asia pertama kali diadakan pada 2008 lalu di Bali dan sebanyak 19 acara dipertandingkan yang melibatkan 45 pasukan dari seluruh negara.

Ketua Kontinjen Malaysia, Datuk James Selvaraj juga tidak menafikan kehebatan skuad sukan perahu layar, luncur angin dan ski air negara untuk bertarung dengan pasukan antarabangsa lain.

“Walaupun kebanyakan mereka masih lagi pasukan pelapis untuk skuad elit kebangsaan, namun prestasi yang ditunjukkan adalah di tahap yang membanggakan dan kita harapkan mereka melakukan yang terbaik untuk mengharumkan nama negara.

“Kali ini cuma 23 orang atlet sahaja bakal mewakili negara ke temasya ini berbanding 70 orang sebelumnya,” katanya ketika ditemui selepas Upacara Penyerahan Jalur Gemilang kepada kontinjen Malaysia semalam.
Sementara itu, Sazali yang sudah mula menjalani latihan persediaan untuk berentap bersama jagoan dunia lain akui pesaingnya bukan calang-calang.

Baginya, pesaing terdekat seperti Indonesia, Thailand dan Myanmar adalah yang paling sukar diduga dan berupaya memberikan saingan sengit.

“Saya tidak boleh memandang rendah setiap pesaing saya, malah perlu sentiasa bersedia kerana kese- muanya mempunyai kekuatan tersendiri terutama atlet tuan rumah.”

Muscat 2010 - Flag Handing Ceremony

 

The Flag Handing Ceremony of the Jalur Gemilang was officiated by Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk M. Jegathesan (OCM), at the Wisma OCM on 2nd Dec 2010. Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk M. Jegathesan presented the Jalur Gemilang to Datuk James, the Chef de Mission of the Malaysian Asian Beach Games Contingent to the 2nd Asian Beach Games Muscat 2010 to be held in Muscat from 8th to 16th Dec. 2010. All the best. MALAYSIA BOLEH!!!