Aniq racing against time to get fit for C'wealth Games title defence
PETALING JAYA: National weightlifter Mohd Aniq Kasdan is not ready to give up on his dream of defending the gold medal he won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, even as injury and time threaten to derail his hopes of qualifying for next year's edition in Glasgow.
The 21-year-old had a mixed outing at the recent Asian Championships in Jiangshan, China, where he started brightly by breaking his own national record with a 132kg snatch in the 61kg category.
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The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
May be tough for Tze Yong to regain old form after ACL setback
KUALA LUMPUR: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained by national men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong may well see him struggle to regain his old form, said former world number one Roslin Hashim. The ex-national shuttler also admitted that even before the ACL injury, Tze Yong's performances of late had been quite shaky since returning to action in April following a back injury. 'When Tze Yong sustained the lower back injury previously, he had to undergo surgery... now he has got an ACL injury (knee). These two lower parts of the body are extremely crucial to a shuttler. 'When he came back to action (after his lower back injury), his performance wasn't that stable either. At an age where he should be reaching his peak powers but, unfortunately, he has suffered another serious injury and his recovery this time will take a long time. So, it will be difficult for Tze Yong to regain his old form,' he told Bernama. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed in a statement yesterday that Tze Yong suffered an ACL injury, with the 25-year-old shuttler also admitting to finding it hard to accept this latest injury blow after all the efforts he had put in to get back to action. BAM singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said Tze Yong, who may be sidelined for nine to 12 months, is currently undergoing prehabilitation (prehab) to strengthen the knee and the surrounding muscles ahead of the scheduled surgery for the ACL injury he sustained at the 2025 Malaysia Masters last month. Tze Yong has suffered various injuries, including a muscle tear in his back followed by a spinal injury since last year and underwent a long period of rest and rehabilitation before returning to action in the Badminton Asia Championship 2025 in Ningbo, China, in April. Despite his bleak assessment of Tze Yong's situation, Roslin, however, hopes the 2022 Commonwealth Games men's singles silver medallist possesses a burning desire and determination to fight back from adversity. 'I sympathise with Tze Yong, I hope he remains strong. If he intends to get back on the court, he will need every ounce of his inner strength and remain steadfast in facing this latest setback,' he said. Roslin, winner of the men's singles gold medal at the 2001 SEA Games, said the absence of the Johor-born Tze Yong, ranked 199 in the world, has also been a huge loss for the national camp. He admitted that Tze Yong is a player with huge potential, having once risen to as high as 14th in the world, and has the qualities required to be one of the world's top shuttlers. 'It's like we have lost a truly good player. We could see his potential as he won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games... unfortunately, injuries have curtailed his progress,' he said.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Tze Yong faces year out with ruptured ACL
KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong faces up to a year on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the Malaysia Masters last month. The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games silver medallist will undergo surgery soon, with an expected recovery time of between nine and 12 months, confirmed national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen. "It's the worst-case scenario — a complete ACL tear," said Jonassen. "It will take between nine and 12 months before he can compete at the highest level again. "Tze Yong will go through surgery, and I will personally oversee his recovery. I really want to see him back on court." The news is a cruel blow for the 24-year-old, who had only just returned to action after a 14-month layoff following two back surgeries. To make matters worse, Tze Yong will not be granted a protected world ranking, which currently stands at No. 18 and would have allowed him to enter top-tier tournaments until September. But Jonassen insists that's not the priority. "Protected ranking is no longer a concern. The priority now is a full recovery and making sure he returns to the World Tour fit and ready," he said. World No. 199 Tze Yong suffered the injury during his second-round match against Hong Kong's world No. 23 Angus Ng. He had won the opening game 22-20 and was leading 4-3 in the second before landing awkwardly and damaging his right knee. Jonassen pointed to former Olympic champion Carolina Marin as inspiration for the Malaysian shuttler. The Spaniard, a three-time world champion, has returned to elite level after undergoing three ACL surgeries and even claimed a silver at the 2023 World Championships. "Our goal is to draw inspiration from players like Marin, who returned to the top after multiple ACL injuries. "We have a strong team to support Tze Yong's rehab. He was on the right track during the Malaysia Masters, and we want to help him get back there." Despite the setback, Tze Yong remains positive. "It's tough to accept, especially after all the hard work leading up to this point," said Tze Yong. "But I know this is just another challenge to overcome. I'm staying positive, following the rehab plan and fully focused on coming back stronger."
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New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Teenager Orfi ends Sivasangari's British Open run [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: S. Sivasangari's British Open campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals after she was beaten by Egypt's rising star Amina Orfi in Birmingham on Thursday. The 17-year-old, making her debut in the prestigious event, stunned the world No. 9 Malaysian with a 11-2, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 win in 59 minutes. It was world No. 5 Amina's fourth win over Sivasangari in five meetings, underlining her growing dominance on the tour. For Sivasangari, it was also her first appearance in the quarter-finals of the British Open. Remarkably, the teenager had to miss her high school graduation to compete this week, but she showed maturity beyond her years to set up a semi-final clash with compatriot and world No. 1 Nouran Gohar. Two-time champion Nouran eased past Belgium's world No. 5 Tinne Gilis 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 to reach the last four. National coach Ajaz Azmat admitted that Sivasangari was outclassed in the opening game. "She was overwhelmed by Amina's aggressive play early on and lost 11-2," said Ajaz. "But she bounced back well to take the second game 11-4. "The third and fourth games were closely contested, but she made errors at key moments." Sivasangari's next major outing remains uncertain as she waits to find out if she qualifies for the season-ending World Tour Finals in Toronto from June 23-27. Only the top eight in the men's and women's rankings will feature. Should she make the cut, Sivasangari is expected to skip the Asian Championships in Kuching from June 17-27.
