Japanese women’s team gold defence left shaky after Yamaguchi’s withdrawal

JAPAN’s bid to defend the women’s team gold in the Asian Games was dealt a cruel blow after top singles shuttler Akane Yamaguchi was struck down by injury. World No. 2 Yamaguchi was forced to withdraw from her match against Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying in the quarter-finals between the two countries with the scores at 14-21, 7-5...

Koo-Tan: Nothing is impossible for doubles to win at Asiad again

WINNING gold in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha was an unforgettable moment for former shuttler Tan Boon Heong. Boon Heong was only 19 when he combined with then 21-yearold Koo Kien Keat in the men’s doubles to end Malaysia’s 36-year wait for a gold in the Asiad in stunning fashion after beating Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto-Alvent...

Malaysian esports team finish second but get invite to RM46mil meet

AT the end of the day, the grandfather was better. The Malaysian esports teams had been bristling with confidence when they took on China in the Arena of Valor (AoV) final – but were outplayed by a dominant host side comprising Sun Liwei, Lin Heng, Chi Xiaoming, Xu Bincheng and Tao Jiang at the Hangzhou esports...

JDT get over AFC defeat to crush Negri in Malaysia Cup

PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) rose from their recent defeat to reach the Malaysia Cup semi-finals in style. The Southern Tigers came out in full force to snatch a 4-1 win over Negri Sembilan in the quarter-final second leg match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Saturday. They had beaten Negri 3-0 in the...

Se-young goes from the shadows to spotlight

FIVE years have made a huge difference in South Korean shuttler An Se-young’s (pic) life. Se-young was only 16 years old and relatively unknown on the international badminton scene when she made her maiden appearance at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games but now, the world No. 1 is riding high with her dominance in the World...

Asian Games: Malaysia guaranteed a silver in esports

HANGZHOU: A medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games is guaranteed from esports. The Malaysia Arena of Valor team have qualified for the final after beating Vietnam 2-0 at the China Hangzhou ESports Centre on Monday (Sept 25). They will face either China or Thailand in the final on Tuesday (Sept 26). Malaysia is represented by Chong Han Hui,...

LEFTIES SET TO STAR IN ASIAN GAMES

WENG HONGYANG (Chn), men’s singles Hongyang was dubbed the next Lin Dan thanks to the similarities in style in their game. Both are lefties and Hongyang idolises Lin Dan. The 24-year-old, who is currently ranked No. 20 in the world, first caught the eye when he captured the Korean Open last year. Hongyang also stunned India’s...

Boxing-Zhang knocks out Joyce in round three of heavyweight rematch

LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese heavyweight Zhilei 'Big Bang' Zhang knocked out Britain's Joe Joyce in the third round of their rematch at London's Wembley Arena on Saturday. The 40-year-old Zhang sent his 38-year-old opponent sprawling to the canvas with a huge right hook to his jaw. Joyce got back to his feet and received oxygen after...

Fever scare for shuttler Tze Yong

SHUTTLER Ng Tze Yong (pic) suffered a scare just six days before the Asian Games badminton competition kicks off in Hangzhou. The world No 19 was forced to miss training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday after coming down with fever. However, it was not a major problem and he should be...

Singles star Zii Jia adds some Siamese sting in Asiad prep

SHUTTLER Lee Zii Jia has been sparring with Thailand’s 2019 World Championships bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen ahead of the Asian Games. With the quality training in his bag, the Malaysian is hoping to have some Siamese sting in Hangzhou. Sporting a blue headband, the Malaysian No 1 attended centralised training for the Asiad on the fourth day...