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Miri, Young Crocs survive to enter Isuzu Cup semis BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Miri, Young Crocs survive to enter Isuzu Cup semis

Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:10 AM PST

by Matthew T. Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 18, 2013, Wednesday

KUCHING: The semi-finalists for the 2013 Isuzu Cup Under-19 football tournament have been decided. The four teams are Limbang, Young Crocs, Kuching and Miri.

This was decided after the two matches played yesterday.

In the first match, Samarahan and SFDP-Young Crocs met with the former needing a win and the latter needing only a draw to qualify for the final four.

Samarahan appeared to take the upperhand when they took the lead late in the first half through Awang Muhd Faiz Hazziq.

The hardwork and fighting spirit of the Young Crocs, however, paid off when Mohd Noor Izwan Jewmo equalised in the 84th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw at the final whistle.

Coach Safri Amit only had words of praise for the resilience and fight back shown by his young players.

"I am glad that my team did not give up after Samarahan scored first. We had this belief that we would walk away from this match with something and we did just that," he added.

This was the third and last group match for the Young Crocs who had earlier registered one win and one loss, trouncing Sibu 6-0 and losing 1-2 against dark horses Limbang.

With the draw, Limbang and SFDP-Young Crocs emerge as the top two finishers in Group A with Samarahan, the suprise casualty, and Sibu exiting the tournament.

The second match also ended in a draw.

But the 2-2 score-line against Bintulu was enough for Miri to advance to the final four.

They qualified based on goals allowed difference. Both Miri and Bintulu recorded one loss each in their group matches.

Both teams had earlier lost to Kuching who top Group B which had only three teams.

Today is a rest day.

Both semi-final matches will be played on Thursday (Dec 19).

Kick off for both matches is 3pm at the two football fields at Unimas used for the tournament.

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Mohd Jironi wins 800m gold at fourth attempt

Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:09 AM PST

NAYPYITAW: Perseverance and determination paid off for middle distance ace Mohd Jironi Riduan who managed to capture a SEA Games gold on his fourth attempt.

The teacher from Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail, Kota Tinggi in Johor won the men's 800m gold with a time of 1 minute 50.98 seconds at the Wunna Theikdi Athletics Stadium yesterday. Mervin Guarte from the Philippines took the silver with a time of 1:51.51s while Vai Thai Duong from Vietnam finished third with a time of 1:51.62s and another Malaysian runner M. Kesavan finished in fifth place.

Jironi has won two silver medals from the 800m and 1,500m at the 2009 Laos SEA Games but disqualified in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia after finishing third in the 800m, allegedly for shoving another runner.

At the 2007 Korat SEA Games in Thailand, Jironi did not win any medals.

"From the start I was only following the lead runner but started sprinting towards the finish line to win the gold.

"The time I clocked did not matter as winning the gold was my top most priority," said Jironi.

Jironi who will be back on track to compete in the 1,500m race tomorrow said he had not set any specific target for the event but would try his best to put up a good performance.

The gold was Malaysia's second in athletics after Irfan Shamsuddin had won the men's discus gold on Sunday. — Bernama

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48 boxers compete in ‘historic’ muaythai tourney

Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:08 AM PST

KUCHING: Kuching Muaythai Association (PMK) president Jumaat Ibrahim said his association was only too happy to help the Ministry of Social Development (KPS) organise the inaugural muaythai tournament in Saratok.

A total of 48 boxers from all over the state competed in the 2013 Saratok Muaythai Championship held at the Lakis futsal stadium, Saratok last Sunday.

Peter Howell, who is political secretary to the Chief Minister, was present at the closing ceremony to give away the prizes on behalf of the Minister of Social Development Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom.

The event was also attended by community leaders from Saratok.

"This is history. No muaythai tournament was ever organised here before this," said Jumaat.

Among the clubs involved were Tomang Muaythai Club, SS Fighters Muaythai Club, Lempong Muaythai Club, KPS Muaythai Club, Kenylang Muaythai Club and Lundu Muaythai Club.

Apart from staging the competition bouts, organisers put together the main event – a duel between KPS' Fariszuan Superjo and SS Fighter's Mohd Wazirul Naziman.

Mohd Wazirul won the special featured contest to lift the Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom Challenge Trophy. On behalf of PMK, Ibrahim thanked everyone who were involved in organising the tournament.

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Sarawak archery takes long-term aim

Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:06 AM PST

by Salena Pail, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 18, 2013, Wednesday

MIRI: Action plans are already been carried out to prepare Sarawak archers to strike gold medals not only in next year's Sukma (Malaysia Games) but also up to Sukma 2016.

"We have taken proactive measures to build a strong archery team especially in view of Sarawak playing host to Sukma XVIII in 2016," state chief coach Abdul Razak Yaacob said to The Borneo Post at the closing ceremony of Archery Medallion Target Camp for Sukma 2014-2016 yesterday.

The camp, hosted for the first time by Sarawak Sports Council (MSNS) and assisted by the National Sport Institute, was held at Petronas Sport Village from Dec 9-17.

The 9-days camp was participated by a total of 30 young archers from Miri, Limbang, Sarikei, Bintulu and Kuching. The camp programme included such aspects as physical fitness, sports psychology and nutrition.

The camp also served as a platform to select archers to represent the state for Sukma 2014 which will be held in Perlis.

20 archers have been identified to join the Sukma 2014 shadow squad.

Abdul Razak, who has been in coaching for more than two decades, revealed that the shadow squad will undergo a 6-month intensive training programme based in Miri from Jan 15, 2014.

Meanwhile, MSNS Northern Region deputy director Gloria James Juat said the current camp was also an ice-breaker among the athletes from the different divisions and helped to strengthen ties to build a strong archer team.

"We aim to build strong squad of apprentices in the sport for Sarawak and to produce national athletes for the Olympic Games," she added.

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Serena takes wrecking ball to rivals

Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:05 AM PST

PARIS: She will be 33 in 2014 and it'll be 19 years since she made her WTA debut, but Serena Williams remains the dominant force in women's tennis condemning out-classed, under-powered rivals to the shadows.

The American diva finished 2013 with 11 titles while her major triumphs at the French and US Opens took her Grand Slam haul to 17, one off the mark shared by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and just five away from Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22.

In a year of staggering dominance, Williams enjoyed a match record of 78 wins against just four defeats, claimed the season-ending WTA Championships title and became the oldest number one player.

Her US$12,385,572 total prize money smashed the previous season record of US$7,923,920 set by Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and at one stage she went on a 34-match winning streak, just one short of the record set by sister Venus in 2000.

She fired 480 aces which was more than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer managed. And just for good measure, she was also on hand to supply some of the best quips and controversies, leading to spectacular public spats with the likes of Maria Sharapova and compatriot Sloane Stephens.

Despite her complete control of the women's game, Williams insists there is always room for improvement, starting at the Australian Open where last year she was knocked out in the fourth round by Stephens, a defeat which sparked a year-long feud between the two.

"I have some areas where I can do a lot better for next year and I look forward to it," said Williams.

"My goal is just to go a year in Australia without twisting an ankle. That's all I'm going to start with."

Williams believes becoming the oldest woman to win the French Open was a key triumph, a belief no doubt fired by her blossoming personal relationship with French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

"The French Open was probably the thing that stands out most," she said after a second Paris title to add to her first from 2002.

"I really wanted to win that. And also being undefeated on clay was pretty exciting too."

Victory in Paris was achieved with a straight sets win over defending champion Sharapova, leaving the Russian without a victory over the American in almost a decade.

The pair's tense relationship reached boiling point at Wimbledon when they traded verbal blows over their respective love lives.

"She begins every interview with 'I'm so happy. I'm so lucky' – it's so boring. She's still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it," said Serena, in a reference to Sharapova's romance with Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov.

Sharapova hit back, aiming for a Williams-Mouratoglou bullseye.

"If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids," said Sharapova.

The spat did nothing for their Wimbledon campaigns – Williams losing in the fourth round to eventual runner-up Sabine Lisicki while Sharapova slumped to a second round loss to Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.

Sharapova played just one more match in the year – an opening round loss to Stephens in Cincinnati in August – before calling it quits with a shoulder injury.

The Russian star, still comfortably the world's highest-earning sportswoman, has hired Sven Groeneveld, the former coach of Monica Seles, to help her in 2014 after splitting with long-term coach Thomas Hogstedt.

World number two Victoria Azarenka remains Williams's biggest rival.

The statuesque Belarusian began 2013 by successfully defending her Australian Open title and followed it with victory over Williams in the Doha tournament.

Another win over the American in Cincinnati buoyed her ahead of the US Open, but the 24-year-old suffered a second successive final defeat to the American.

Azarenka's overall record remains poor against Williams at three wins against 13 losses.

Williams is 14-2 against Sharapova and 10-1 when she faces China's world number three, Li Na.

Li is the highest ever ranked Asian woman and her season was book-ended by a runners-up spot to Azarenka in Australia and Williams at the WTA Championships in Istanbul.

The year wasn't entirely dominated by Williams and Azarenka as Wimbledon witnessed one of the most unlikely title triumphs when French jumping jack Marion Bartoli defeated a tearful Lisicki in the final.

Mindful of lightning not striking twice, Bartoli quit tennis four weeks later. — AFP

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