Double Delight For Malaysia At 2025 PETRONAS Junior International Challenge
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in a statement said that Malaysia's first triumph came in the mixed doubles, courtesy of Loh Ziheng and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan before the girls' doubles pair of Low Zi Yu and Dania Sofea Zaidi added another title to the tally.
In the all-Malaysian mixed doubles final, second seeds Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah played a more patient and composed game despite narrowly losing the first set 20-22 to Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea.
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Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
SBJ Athletes Get Free Tickets To Watch Final Match For Piala Sumbangsih- Onn Hafiz
MUAR, July 13 (Bernama) -- The Johor government will provide free tickets to watch the final match for the 2025-2026 Piala Sumbangsih between the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Selangor teams for athletes competing in the 2025 Bangsa Johor Games (SBJ). Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the tickets will be given to the SBJ athletes for their contribution in making the games a success. He said the athletes concerned could get the tickets for the match, to be held at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium (SSI) on Aug 8, from their respective assemblyman. bootstrap slideshow 'I hope the SBJ athletes will be able to spare some time on Aug 8 to come and fill up SSI to watch the match between JDT and Selangor for the Piala Sumbangsih,' he said when opening the two-day SBJ Games at the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Youth Centre (TMIYC) here last night. Also present was State Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah. Onn Hafiz said that the SBJ Games, which began last year as an annual event, was an initiative by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, to encourage the people of Johor, especially the youth, to engage in meaningful activities and strengthen the spirit of unity. 'The Regent of Johor wants the young people to progress, fill their time with beneficial activities, be educated and get good jobs,' he said, adding that the state government had allocated more than RM1.7 million for the sports meet. Meanwhile, Mohd Hairi, in his speech, said that the SBJ Games was organised as a platform to discover new sports talents among young people, providing them the opportunity to be nurtured and developed towards becoming a major force in the sporting arena. -- BERNAMA
!['My mental health has always been my biggest demon' [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
'My mental health has always been my biggest demon' [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: Do top Malaysian athletes suffer mental health issues. Yes, they do. Away from the spotlight, their inner demons lurk, taking a psychological toll on them. Swimmer Phee Jinq En, who competed in two Olympics, shed light on the issue in an exclusive interview with Timesport. She was on course for her third Olympics (Paris, last year) after competing in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo — until a rule change ended her dream. As Malaysia's No. 1 female swimmer, Jinq En was widely expected to qualify via a universality slot. However, the International Olympic Committee revised its criteria, ruling that athletes who had competed at two previous Olympics were no longer eligible for a wild card. "I felt like the rule was directly targeted at me. I'm sure a lot of athletes were affected," said Jinq En. "It felt unfair when you've worked for three years to stay on top, only to have it taken away." The 28-year-old admitted that the blow left her reeling. "To maintain your No. 1 spot for three years, and then watch someone else go. I think people can understand my anger and disappointment. But to be honest, it's no one's fault." Unable to face the Olympic disappointment, she shut herself out during the Paris Games. "I went to Thailand. I just needed to get away. I didn't watch TV for two weeks. I didn't want to see what was going on," she said. But the Paris heartbreak was only one chapter in Jinq En's long battle with depression — one that has played out quietly behind the medals and podium finishes. A four-time SEA Games gold medallist and holder of three national records, the former student of Purdue University, United States, has been open about her struggles with mental health. It was during her time in the US that Jinq En first came to terms with her condition — after friends and coaches urged her to seek professional help. In an earlier Timesport report, former National Sports Institute sports psychologist Muhammad Deen said mental health challenges were becoming more serious among athletes in Malaysia and beyond due to the constant demands on their bodies and minds. "My mental health has always been my biggest demon," said Jinq En. "One of my friends said, 'You need to see a therapist. We can only help so much'. At that time, I was in denial. But my coach forced me to see a therapist." Therapy helped her gain clarity and focus to compete at the highest level. National Sports Institute chief executive officer Dr. P. Vellapandian told Timesport earlier that national athletes should not hesitate to seek help for mental health issues and there is no stigma in seeking professional support. Dr. Vellapandian said mental health issues — including performance-related pressure, anxiety, depression or burnout — are becoming common in elite athletes. Dr. Vellapandian also said he was ready to personally help Lee Zii Jia if the shuttler needs psychological support. There were concerns about the Olympic bronze medallist's mental health after Zii Jia shared a cryptic social media post recently, and which led to the National Sports Council contacting his management team. However, Zii Jia's team responded by saying he was fine. Jinq En said: "As athletes, our emotions run extremely high or really low. Therapy gave me ways to understand myself better." She now turns to drawing and journaling to manage her mental health. "Drawing became an outlet to cope with challenges, and journaling helped me express frustrations instead of keeping them inside," she added. Jinq En, who hails from Subang Jaya, is also using her experience to raise mental health awareness, especially among young athletes. "Conversations about mental health in Malaysia are still just surface-level, but I think my generation and the younger ones are more open to talking about it," she said. "The older generation still sees mental health as taboo — like you just need to tough it out." Jinq En credits social media for helping to shift the conversation. "These days, we can choose the content we consume. I use my platform to promote mental health, and I see a lot of others doing the same. It shows athletes it's okay to talk about this. "But it's a double-edged sword. I've received hate comments. Every athlete in Malaysia has. But I've learnt to ignore them. I'm trying to live my best life, and if that bothers someone, it's their problem." Despite the Olympic setback, Jinq En is focused on what matters most — healing, growing, and using her voice to make a difference.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Queen graces GT World Challenge Asia to support Johor princes
KUALA LUMPUR: Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, graciously attended the Fuji Speedway Circuit in Japan on Saturday (July 12) to witness the GT World Challenge Asia series race. According to a post on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar's official Facebook page, Her Majesty's presence was to support her sons, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim. In the first race in Fuji, Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj and his teammate Jordan Love (car #66) achieved their first podium finish of the season by securing third place. Meanwhile, Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj (car #99) continued to display consistent driving with teammate Ben Green, finishing in eighth place. His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who followed the race from the capital, expressed gratitude over his youngest son's podium finish. "I am grateful that Tunku Putera achieved a good result this time and hope that he and his brother (Tunku Panglima) will continue to give strong competition in Sunday's (July 13) second race," the post read. Also in attendance at Saturday's race were Raja Di Hilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah, as well as Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim and her husband, Datuk Dennis Muhammad Abdullah. Both Johor Motorsports Racing (JMR) Corvette Z06 GT3.R cars will start Sunday's second race from the front row after claiming first (car #99) and second (car #66) positions in Saturday morning's qualifying round. The race can be watched live on GT World's YouTube channel via the link beginning 10.15 am Malaysian time. - Bernama
