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Pandelela stamps her world class status in Beijing BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

Pandelela stamps her world class status in Beijing

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:22 PM PDT

by Matthew Umpang reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 17, 2014, Monday

KUCHING: Malaysia's Pandelela Rinong proved she is among the world's elite when she took the silver medal in the women's 10m individual platform event at the opening leg of FINA Diving World Series 2014 held in Beijing yesterday. She scored a total of 368.5 points to finish behind China's Liu Huixia who scored 412.9. Britain's Tonia Couch captured the bronze after she accumulated 357.9 points.

The Sarawak-born diver, who was the first female in the nation's history to win an Olympic Games medal in 2012, gave a confident and poised display in the final of the event. She remained in second position throughout all the final five dives. After four rounds Pandelela had a tally of 291.7 points. The only threat as the six finalists entered their final dive came from Mexican Alejandra Orozco who was lying third with 286.7. But nerves got the better of Alejandra who had a disastrous dive to end up last among the finalists.

Two days earlier, Pandelela had combined with Leong Mun Yee to clinch the bronze medal in the 10m platform synchro event. The duo were among six Malaysian divers who qualified to compete in Beijing. Only the the world's top eight ranked divers in each event are invited to compete in the six-leg FINA Diving World Series.

Assistant Sports Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin expressed his admiration for Pandelela  with her latest achievement.

Speaking to The Borneo Post yesterday, he conveyed his congratulations to Sarawak's diving queen and hoped that she will continue her fine services as a sportswoman for the country.

"What she did made Sarawak proud again. We hope that she will never give up in her quest to become the best among the best," he added.

Lee also wished that Pandelela could some day bring home the nation's first ever Olympic gold medal.

"She can do it as we know that she has that winning attitude. She already has what it takes to be a world class athlete," he added.

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Lee and Tami capture their first titles for season

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:16 PM PDT

by Ting Tieng Hee reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 17, 2014, Monday

KUCHING: Lee Duck Hee and Tami Grende captured their season's first victories after winning the boy's singles and girl's singles finals of the 23rd Sarawak Chief Minister's Cup (I) ITF Junior Tennis Championship (Grade 1) at SLTA Tennis Centre yesterday.

The boy's final, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, saw the top seeded South Korean Lee defeating the second seeded player from Australia Harry Bourchier 6-3, 7-6(1).

"It was fantastic to have won in Kuching this week and I won in my best condition today," said the ITF junior No. 12 player who admitted that he had full confidence in beating Bourchier as he had beaten the Australian three times in previous meetings.

"This is the first title I have won this year and I hope to win more events after this," said the 16-year-old Lee who will return to Jechon, South Korea for a week's rest before competing in two Men's Futures events in Japan and returning to Kuching for the ITF Men's Futures US$15,000 here from Mar 31 to Apr 6.

After this win, Lee's ITF junior ranking is likely to jump to either No. 4 or No.5.

Lee is deaf from birth and this physical disability has not deterred him from doing well in tennis.  He has played in the Junior Wimbledon Open and Junior Australian Open last year.

Girl's singles champion Tami Grende from Indonesia also celebrated her greatest achievement after beating top seed Xu Shilin of China 7-5, 6-3 in yesterday's final.

"I am very happy with the final result. This is really a surprise win for me and I still can't believe that I have won the championship.

"Dad has been very supportive and motivating me throughout the championship. Before the final, he said I am going to win this tournament and I didn't believe him," said Tami after the match that lasted about two hours.

Tami had eliminated ITF No. 152 Shao Yijia 5-2, (retired) in the first round and ousted eighth seed Sara Tomic of Australia, ITF No. 47 in the second round before seeing off ITF No. 171 Claire Spackman Choi Yoonkee of Hong Kong 6-2, 6-2 in the last 16.

She went on to upset 16th seed from Czech Republic Marketa Vandrousova 6-2, 6-2 in the last eight before beating tournament third seed Katie Boulter of Great Britain 7-6(7), 4-1 (retired) in the semi-finals.

The ITF rankings for the 16-year-old player of Indonesian and Italian-Belgian parentage has improved from No. 177 to the top 100 after the win.

It was Tami's second win in Malaysia after winning an ITF event in Melaka three years ago and her first victory this year.

She won the Thamrine Cup in Jakarta in June last year and will be heading to Manila next week for the Grade 1 event there.

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Nico Rosberg wins Australian Grand Prix

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PDT

MELBOURNE: Germany's Nico Rosberg led from start to finish to win an eventful season-opening Australian Grand Prix Sunday as world champion Sebastian Vettel and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton were both early casualties.

Mercedes' Rosberg beat Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who placed second in his first drive for Red Bull, with McLaren debutant Kevin Magnussen impressively taking third in an exhilarating race in Melbourne.

But there was no joy for Vettel, the four-time defending world champion, and Mercedes' Hamilton who both dropped out early with mechanical problems.

At the start, Rosberg swept to the front from third on the grid and he safely held Ricciardo at bay by 24.5 seconds to give Mercedes, who are already looking dominant, the first win of the season.

It was Rosberg's fourth GP win and his first since Silverstone last year.

But while Mercedes were celebrating Rosberg's triumph, they lost  Hamilton on the fourth lap with mechanical problems. Vettel also went out early, his first retirement since last year's British GP.

McLaren's Jenson Button was fourth with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso fifth and Valtteri Bottas sixth for Williams.

Fourteen cars of the 22 finished the race, which had its hair-raising moments on the opening lap.

Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi came off together at the first bend and were out of the race, while Vettel struck trouble at the rear of the field.

Stewards said they would be launching an investigation into the Massa-Kobayashi collision.

The Mercedes team told Hamilton he needed to retire on the second lap, but quickly amended the message to "stay out" on the track. — AFP

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Advantage Manchester City as nine-man Chelsea crash

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:13 PM PDT

LONDON: Chelsea lost two players, their manager, and the initiative in the Premier League title race after crashing to a damaging 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.

The London club were looking to reassert their nine-point advantage at the top of the table after Manchester City had cut their lead to six points, but instead they fell to a cunning 82nd-minute back-heel by Fabian Delph.

The visitors finished the game with nine men after Brazilian midfielders Willian and Ramires were both sent off, while their misery was compounded in stoppage time when manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands.

"Defensively we were really strong. We had no problems to cope with the danger that Aston Villa has," Mourinho told Sky Sports.

"After that, I prefer not to comment, because I don't want to bring the game into disrepute."

Chelsea's fourth defeat of the campaign hands City the advantage in the title race, as Manuel Pellegrini's side now have three games in hand.

It will also give hope to Liverpool and Arsenal, both of whom trail Chelsea by seven points and have two games in hand on Mourinho's side.

Liverpool visit seventh-place Manchester United on Sunday, while Arsenal face a trip to north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Asked how Chelsea's defeat had affected the title race, Mourinho would only say: "I prefer not to speak. I prefer to say nothing."

Chelsea's Nemanja Matic had a goal disallowed for handball during a slow-burning first half at Villa Park, before the game sprang to life in the final half hour.

Mourinho had just sent on Andre Schurrle and Demba Ba for Oscar and Fernando Torres when Willian was shown a second yellow card for bundling Delph over in the 68th minute.

With eight minutes remaining, Delph played a pass wide to Marc Albrighton on the left and then drove into the box to meet his team-mate's cross with a clever flick that trundled into Petr Cech's bottom-left corner.

Delph also hit the crossbar in injury time, before Chelsea's frustration got the better of them, with Ramires sent off for an ugly stamp on Karim El Ahmadi and Mourinho dismissed for protesting.

"Ramires was a shocker. That was a leg-breaker. If anyone says different, I disagree," said Villa manager Paul Lambert.

"I have been here nearly two seasons, but that is the best one victory we have had. It was a fantastic team performance."

City finished the day six points behind Chelsea in second place, having survived the 10th-minute dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany to win 2-0 at Hull City.

Kompany saw red for a last-man foul on Nikica Jelavic, but David Silva put City ahead with a glorious curling effort just four minutes later and Edin Dzeko made sure of victory at the death.

"We needed to win today and playing with one player less for 80 minutes is very difficult, but I think we did a very good performance," said City manager Pellegrini, who saw his side eliminated from both the FA Cup and the Champions League earlier this week.

"We defended well with and without the ball, but we also attacked a lot. It was a very professional response from the players."

Kompany expressed his pride — and perhaps relief — via Twitter, writing: "Proud of the guys! Phenomenal shift they have put in again!"

Meanwhile, bottom club Fulham gave their chances of avoiding relegation a boost with a 1-0 win at home to Newcastle United that kept them four points from safety.

Ashkan Dejagah's swerving 68th-minute shot crept beneath visiting goalkeeper Tim Krul to consign Newcastle to defeat on the day manager Alan Pardew began a seven-game ban for headbutting Hull midfielder Meyler.

"It will give us the confidence that we can avoid relegation and stay in the league," said Fulham manager Felix Magath. "I'm convinced that we can manage it and stay in the league."

West Bromwich Albion manager Pepe Mel tasted victory for the first time as an 85th-minute Youssouf Mulumbu goal saw his side complete a 2-1 comeback win at Swansea City that sent them three points clear of the drop zone. — AFP

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Race for MVP award to highlight wild finish to season

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:10 PM PDT

THE NBA playoff picture will take shape over the next month but many observers are more intrigued by the battle for the Most Valuable Player award, which is shaping up to be one of the tightest races in recent memory.

LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder have been locked in a dazzling display of one-upmanship all season, with a standout performance from one seemingly motivating the other to similar heights.

Debate over which player should receive the sport's highest individual honor has dominated sports talk shows all season and the only thing you will get pundits to agree on is that the verdict is still too close to call.

James has won four of the past five MVP trophies, including the last two, and his play on the court has clearly indicated that he is not ready to concede the award anytime soon.

The 29-year-old Heat forward dazzled fans with a career-high and franchise-record 61-point game earlier this month and, with under five weeks left in the regular season, is shooting over 57 percent from the field, the highest of his career.

Not to be outdone, Durant followed James's 61-point effort with a gem of his own a day later, scoring 42 points on 70 percent shooting.

Another MVP award would put James alongside Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Michael Jordan at five. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leader with six.

But joining Russell and Jordan is not what motivates James, who has said all along that winning NBA titles is what drives him. His fellow players also say James is all about the team.

"Who wouldn't want to get five? Who wouldn't want to put themselves in that category that not many have reached?" Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.

"He knows he has the game to do it. He knows he's a walking MVP every time he takes the floor for multiple years but I don't think he would sacrifice his team success for it."

Ballots for the MVP race are due April 17, a day after the regular season concludes, and all indications suggest it will be the tightest vote since Steve Nash narrowly beat Shaquille O'Neal in 2005.

Durant, who finished second to James in MVP voting in 2010, 2012 and 2013, has made a strong case for MVP honors, most notably in January when he carried the Thunder on his back while team mate Russell Westbrook was recovering from knee surgery.

The Westbrook injury threatened to send the Thunder down the Western Conference standings but Durant stepped up his game and averaged 35.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor that month. He had a season-high 54 points in a Jan. 17 game against Golden State.

He has now topped 40 points 11 times this season, nine more than James, and is in the midst of what may be his best National Basketball Association season.

Durant is on pace to win a fourth scoring title as he leads all players with an average of 31.8 points per game while James is third with an average of 26.9 points.

But like James, the 25-year-old Durant is heralded for his focus on winning a maiden NBA title and not allowing individual honors get in the way of the ultimate prize.

"There's no question, basketball players, you love the opportunity to get the MVP. The thing I love about Kevin – he's about winning. He's about winning over individual awards," said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.

"And he's been consistent. He's had MVP years like three years in a row now, and the thing I love about him, he comes back a little bit better. That's hard to do." — Reuters

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Sarawak prove ‘no striker, no problem’

Posted: 15 Mar 2014 09:32 AM PDT

by Matthew Umpang. Posted on March 16, 2014, Sunday

Kuching: The Sarawak team may be in crisis with the key import strikers either not delivering or out injured. But coach Robert Alberts and the Crocs weathered the storm calmly to score a convincing 3-1 win over last year's Super League champions Singapore XII last night at Stadium Negeri.

The night began in a solemn mood. The rain did not stop the over 20,000 fans who turned up. The message 'Pray for MH370' was on display at the giant screen before the match.

But the Crocs quickly got into an aggressive mode when the game started.

Mohd Rashid Aya and Joseph Kalang Tie took on attacking midfield roles with S Chanturu and Ashri Chuchu on the flanks.

The midfield was marshalled by Junior Eldstal and Mohd Lot Abu Hassan.

The back four comprised Ronny Harun, Gabor Gyepes, Mafry Balang and Ramesh Lai Ban Huat. Sani Anuar Kamsani started between the posts.

Two early attempts at goal by Joseph Kallang in the first 10 minutes were positive signals of Sarawak's offensive intention.

The first goal came in the 15th minute with S. Chanturu's header after connecting Gabor's nod from a corner kick taken by Ashri.

The Lions turned to a more aggressive style of play. They were rewarded in the 35th minute following a set piece at the edge of Sarawak's penalty box. Muhd Nazrul Ahmad Nazri scored the equalizer with a long range header.

The Crocs took just five minutes to go ahead again with Chanturu getting his brace. Following a counter attack, he latched on to a Mohd Lot pass to fire home past Lions keeper Mohd Irwan Mahbud.

The score stood at 2-1 in Sarawak's favour at half-time.

The result looked irreversible in the 75th minute with Mohd Rashid Aya, who came in for Ashri for the second half, scoring Sarawak's third from a pass by Zamri Morshidi.

It was a valuable three points for the Crocs as their fans burst out with joy at the referee's final whistle.

Sarawak is now lying third in the league table.

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