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Miri’s John and Yi Fei impress at state wushu meet BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Miri’s John and Yi Fei impress at state wushu meet

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:52 PM PST

by Jenifer Laeng, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on November 27, 2013, Wednesday

MIRI: Boxers from the Miri Division Wushu Association bagged eight gold, four silver and four bronze medals at the state-level Self Defense Championships held in Kuching recently.

They contributed to Miri finishing third behind champion Kuching and Sibu.

Head coach Master Tiong Ching Chiong said yesterday that all their 12 athletes at the tournament had obtained at least one medal.

He highlighted two athletes namely John Yu and Pang Yi Fei who gave impressive performances to obtain two gold and one silver each.

The tournament was participated by athletes from four other divisions, namely Kuching, Sibu, Sarikei and Bintulu.

Meanwhile, Tiong revealed that exponents from Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Bintulu and Brunei will be participating in the Sarawak Invitational Wushu Championship to be held here from Dec 21-23.

"We are still selecting our top athletes to compete in the coming tournament. It would be the first time that Miri organise such a big event, so we are really looking forward to it," he added.

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Foreign riders provide thrill at Borneo Motocross

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:06 PM PST

KANOWIT: Syahrizam from Sabah emerged as overall champion in round six of the Borneo Motocross Championship 2013 held here on Sunday.

The event, organised by the Automobile Association of Malaysia, was participated by riders from Brunei, Indonesia, Sabah, Sarawak and West Malaysia.

They competed in six races namely MX 125, MX Open, MX Veteran Open, Scramble Open, Cub Cross and Star Rookies Cub.

In the MX 125 category, Mashuri from Indonesia was first, while Syahrizam from Sabah and Chin Vui Min from Sarawak came in second and third respectively.

In MX Open, the first to third places went to Mashuri, Idzam from Brunei and Syahrizam from Sabah.

For MX Veteran Open, Jamil from Brunei won followed by Puasa Usop and JMala Lamit, both from Sarawak.

Poi Chie Weng and Jong Sze Ping, both from Sarawak, and Wan Al Bukhari from Kelantan finished in that order in the Scramble Open category.

Local riders dominated the Cub Cross category as Rainey Lim, Lim Wei Liang and Alexander Tiong finished in the top three.

In Star Rookies Cub category, the winner was Jawasi from Brunei while Wan Al Bukhari from Kelantan and Bui Bui Lim from Indonesia came in second and third respectively.

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Rivals nearing All Black ‘Unbeatables’

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:05 PM PST

WELLINGTON: New Zealand media yesterday dubbed the 2013 All Blacks 'The Unbeatables' after they completed a perfect season, but acknowledged their rivals were closing the gap ahead of the next World Cup.

The tone was more relieved than triumphant after the New Zealanders snatched a 24-22 result over a desperately unlucky Ireland to record 14 wins from 14 and become the first international side in the professional era to win every single Test in a calendar year.

Rather than hail the dazzling skills of Steve Hansen's men, pundits praised his side's mental toughness in clawing back from a 19-0 deficit at Lansdowne Road to keep their record unblemished.

The Dominion Post labelled it 'the great escape' and said New Zealand's rivals would feel encouraged in the lead up to the 2015 World Cup in England, when the All Blacks will seek to win the trophy on foreign soil for the first time.

"France, England and now Ireland will all have told themselves that they are only an adjustment or two from being right up there with the best team," it said.

The New Zealand Herald produced a wraparound poster of the team topped with a banner headline reading 'The Unbeatables: The Perfect 2013 All Blacks', although it conceded that it was "a perfect season clinched with (an) imperfect performance".

"They will know they are not as far ahead of their challengers as it appears. For three weeks running they have been rattled in Europe," it said.

Despite the scare produced by the unfancied Irish, former New Zealand coach Graham Henry said the achievement of becoming the first side to win every Test in a year since 1989's amateur-era All Blacks should not be overshadowed.

"This side is the best rugby side in the world right now, and may be the best rugby side that's ever played the game," he told RadioSport.

"There's not too many areas where you think you can improve."

Henry, who masterminded the All Blacks' 2011 World Cup triumph, said Hansen had strengthened the team since he took over after the tournament to create a unit with exceptional skills, never-say-die attitude, superb fitness and big-match experience.

He said the attributes were on display in the final 35 minutes at Lansdowne Road, when Ireland 'ran out of petrol' and the New Zealanders stormed home.

"It ranks right up there, I can't remember a Test match in the last decade or so where we've been down by that number of points, so it's a special comeback," he said. — AFP

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FIFA wants divers to examine their conscience

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:01 PM PST

ZURICH: Detested in some countries and regarded as act of cunning in others, the practice of diving and feigning injury to win penalties and get opponents sent off has become ingrained in football almost everywhere.

Forwards have become increasingly adept at what is officially known as simulation, often provoking contact themselves yet somehow making it look the defender's fault.

Referees have been caught in the middle and have to judge in a split second whether a foul was genuine or enacted, often an impossible decision to make even with the use of slow motion replays. With the World Cup looming and the stakes higher than ever, soccer's governing body FIFA is hoping that it can appeal to the conscience of the players to stamp out a practice which many feel is ruining the game.

"We need fair play," FIFA's head of refereeing Massimo Busacca told Reuters in an interview.

"You cannot win the game with simulation, what are you to tell your children when you go home?

"Will you say, 'I won the game by simulation, it was cheating'? It should be an honour to win a game on merit."

Busacca's comments may sound idealistic, especially in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a World Cup, but he was hopeful that players would listen.

"I'm always positive," said Busacca, a former Swiss and international refereee.

"We stress that we want fair play, we want to see football, spectators want to enjoy football, so you have to win the game correctly. If we continue to say that, in my opinion we can achieve results."

In some cases, he said, players would even own up if a referee asked them what had happened.

"It happened to me twice in my career, in the first division. I asked the player if he was sure it was a foul and he said it wasn't then I changed my mind…

"It wasn't in the penalty area but it was close. He said sorry and I changed my decision…imagine if we could have more of that in the future."

He added: "Of course, everyone wants to win, and such an important competition, sometimes the adrenalin and emotion are so much that you forget, sometimes you do not think, it's like a habit."

On a positive note, Busacca said he believed that dangerously violent tackles had largely been eradicated from the game. — Reuters

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Bryant inks two-year extension with Lakers

Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant signed a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, a deal that likely means the 35-year-old guard will complete his career as a Laker, the club announced Monday.

No terms were announced but ESPN reported the deal was worth 48.5 million and will keep Bryant as the NBA's highest-paid player. Bryant will make 30.4 million this season under his prior contract.

Bryant, who is recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon, has returned to practice with the Lakers but is not yet ready to play and the team has not offered a timetable on when he might be back in games.

Bryant tweeted a photo of his signature on a contract line with the hashtag Laker4Life and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he expects the deal, which would give Bryant two decades in the NBA, will enable the star guard to finish his career in purple and gold.

"This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and for the Lakers organization," said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak. "We've said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker and this should ensure that happens.

"To play 20 years in the NBA, and to do so with the same team, is unprecedented, and quite an accomplishment. Most importantly however, it assures us that one of the best players in the world will remain a Laker, bringing us excellent play and excitement for years to come."

The Lakers have won five NBA titles since Bryant joined the team after being taken 13th overall by Charlotte in the 1996 NBA Draft and traded to Los Angeles. He helped the Lakers to titles in 2000-2002, 2009 and 2010.

Bryant is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and ranks fourth on the NBA's career scoring list. He was named the NBA's regular season in 2008 and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010.

The 15-time NBA All-Star also helped the United States team capture Olympic gold medals at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. — AFP

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Main event for martial arts championships

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 02:05 PM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on November 26, 2013, Tuesday

KUCHING: Muaythai fans are in for a real treat for this weekend's state-level Martial Arts Championships at the Plaza Astana.

The Kuching Muaythai Association (PMK) have arranged for a special bout in the 60kg category as an added attraction to the championship organised by the State Youth and Sports Ministry.

The Trevor Salang-Aislay Ngasri face-off is shaping up to be a duel between the prodigal son and the local hero.

Miri's Trevor, who is also known by his ring name 'The Malaysian Machete', has trained overseas and lived in his adopted New Zealand for the past 15 years. With the Internationl Kickboxing Federation New Zealand (IKBF-NZ) championship listed among his achievements, he is on a mission to seek recognition from local muaythai fans.

"I do hope the fans who come to watch the bout are on my side. I think that they have a lot to cheer about if they support me," he said in an interview with The Borneo Post yesterday.

"I am also a trainer and I have trained a lot of top fighters there (New Zealand) myself. I have a studio there and I am planning to open one here in my beloved hometown Miri too," he added.

Kuching's Aislay won a national competition belt in the 60kg category at Putrajaya last month.

Enjoying a local cult hero following in Sarawak, his bouts have never failed to attract loyal supporters who cheer for him.

It is also intriguing that both fighters have scarce knowledge of each other.

"While I do not know anything about my opponent (Aislay) this weekend, I do know that Sarawak's muaythai and kick-boxing scene definitely looks promising. May the best fighter win," Trevor commented.

The fight between Trevor and Aislay promises to be the main event among the other bouts lined up on December 1.

Fans are encouraged to come to the Plaza Astana early on that day.

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