Ohori's 'lucky charm' run ends for husband Yew Sin in Japan Open
Yew Sin and men's doubles partner Teo Ee Yi were stopped 21-14, 21-15 by South Korea's world No. 3 Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
It was a bittersweet end to what had been a dream week for Yew Sin — his first tournament since tying the knot with former Japanese star and world No. 7 Ohori in Melaka last month.
With his wife watching from the stands, the world No. 30 rediscovered their spark to reach their first World Tour semi-final of the season after crashing out in the first round of seven consecutive events.
But their inspired run came undone against the in-form Koreans, who were simply a class above on the day.
The defeat also dashed hopes of an all-Malaysian final, with top seeds Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani taking on Taiwan's Liu Kuan Heng-Yan Po Han in the other semi-final.
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New Straits Times
44 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
BAM must not let badminton end up like diving
MALAYSIAN badminton is not in crisis — not yet. With stars like former world cham pions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Lee Zii Jia, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai still competing — and often winning — on the BWF World Tour, the sport remains in good hands. At least until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In fact, Malaysia may even crown a second world champion in Paris next month. But it would be dangerously naive to believe the current wave of success will last forever. Because this is exactly where diving stood just a few years ago, before it plummeted. There was a time when Malaysian divers were contenders on the world stage. Pandelela Rinong's Olympic bronze in London 2012, multiple World Championship medals, and a string of podiums at the Commonwealth and Asian Games marked a golden era. She was not alone. Cheong Jun Hoong stunned China's elite to win Malaysia's first world title in 2017 in Budapest, a year after winning diving's first Olympic silver (with Pandelela) for Malaysia at the Rio Games. It looked like the country might finally win their first Olympic gold in diving, not in badminton. Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Wendy Ng and Leong Mun Yee helped establish Malaysia as a regional powerhouse. Fast forward to 2025, and the national diving team are competing in the ongoing World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with no real expectations. No buzz, no form and crucially, no medal hopes. The dive has been steep, brutal, and completely avoidable. This scribe, along with others in the sporting fraternity, raised the alarm years ago. Concerns about stagnation, over-reliance on ageing stars, and a lack of succession planning were brushed aside. Malaysia Aquatics failed to heed those warnings. They did not hire top-level coaches after Yang Zhuliang's contract was not renewed in 2017 — a pivotal mistake. Worse, insiders whispered that some divers were calling the shots in the national set-up. When athletes dictate policy, disaster is inevitable. The same names were recycled for major events while juniors sat idle. Grooming the next generation became an afterthought. By the time Malaysia Aquatics began revival initiatives, it was already too late. The system had stopped producing, the decline had begun, and the damage was done. Diving now finds itself gasping for air, clinging to memories of past glories. It is the latest cautionary tale in Malaysian sport, and one badminton must learn from before it's too late. Right now, badminton looks fine on paper. The senior ranks remain competitive. Pearly-Thinaah and Aaron-Wooi Yik will likely be Olympic medal contenders at LA28. Tang Jie-Ee Wei are rising stars. Zii Jia, inconsistent as he is, remains a top draw. And the BA of Malaysia's (BAM) system is still envied in the region. But cracks are starting to show — if you're paying attention. Malaysia failed to win a single medal at the recent Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Indonesia. Once a rich breeding ground for elite players, our juniors are now being outclassed by the likes of India, Japan, Thailand and even Taiwan — nations that once looked up to us. They weren't just beaten — they were outthought, outplayed and outworked. This isn't just about one tournament. It reflects a deeper issue in our development pipeline. Where is the next Zii Jia? The next Aaron-Wooi Yik? If BAM doesn't have those answers now, they may be forced to confront the same hard truths Malaysia Aquatics is struggling with today. This is the time for BAM to act, not to wait. Waiting for the seniors to decline before addressing structural issues is the very mistake that sank diving. The badminton system must evolve fast. It needs to constantly regenerate talent. That means more international exposure for juniors, stronger local competitions, better coaching at the grassroots, and support for clubs nationwide. It also means making hard calls, recognising when older players are blocking progress. Less politics. More planning. Less nostalgia. More foresight. Malaysia's sporting graveyard is filled with once-great disciplines undone by complacency. Field hockey was once among the world's best — now Malaysia are struggling in Asia and not producing top quality players. The Malaysian Hockey Confederation may say it has around 5,000 up-and-coming players nationwide produced through its development initiatives. However, most go "missing"' even before they reach senior ranks or are not up to the mark. Athletics produced legends like Rabuan Pit and Samson Vallabouy. Now they're footnotes. Reminders of what happens when ambition is replaced by comfort. Diving is merely the latest casualty. Pandelela and Dhabitah gave everything to the sport. They carried Malaysian diving for over a decade. But the burden was never meant to be theirs alone. Like Jun Hoong, who retired after Tokyo 2021 when the National Sports Council pulled her funding, they deserved a system that could take over. They didn't get it. Now, diving is stuck in denial, trying to defend the indefensible. Let's not wait for badminton to arrive at the same place. BAM still has time. But the window is narrowing. The rest of the world isn't waiting. This scribe hopes BAM listens. Because Malaysia Aquatics didn't, and it is paying the price. Without a plan, no athlete can carry a sport forever. Badminton doesn't need to dive — but it could, if we aren't careful.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Different horsepower for Horner as Red Bull enter new era
FORMER Red Bull team boss Christian Horner posted a video on social media of himself riding on horseback in the English countryside on the day of the Belgian Grand Prix. 'Different horse power this Sunday,' read the simple caption. Spa-Francorchamps marked the start of a new era for the former Formula One champions, the first race without Horner -- dismissed two weeks ago -- at the helm since Red Bull entered the sport in 2005. New boss Laurent Mekies started with a win, with Max Verstappen taking the Saturday sprint, and then a frustrating fourth place for the Dutch four-times world champion in the main Sunday grand prix. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda failed to score for the sixth race in a row. Apart from expressing surprise at the long delay in getting the race started, due to heavy rain, Mekies avoided any polemic. He blamed the team for Tsunoda's blank, saying the Japanese had done a great job in qualifying but was called in too late for his pitstop in a mistake that cost him three or four positions. 'After two weeks at the factory, trying to meet as many people as possible, it was nice to also meet the race team,' said the Frenchman when asked to assess the weekend. 'To also enter into the race dynamics and see how the flows and the processes and preparation are. That was super-good in terms of getting to know the team. As you would imagine, it's a team where everything is done at the mega level.' Horner's absence was the talk of the paddock but by the time the circus regroups in Budapest next week, the conversation is likely to have moved on. 'I think Laurent is very good. The sport moves on quickly, so it probably won't be something that we're talking about come Monday,' McLaren boss Zak Brown told Sky Sports television. 'He (Horner) had fantastic results. It's a shame to kind of go out the way he did.' Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said earlier in the weekend that he would miss his old sparring partner and Netflix 'Drive to Survive' protagonist -- in a way -- and expected him to return sooner or later. 'I don't think he's gone forever. I think he's going to pop up in some kind of other function,' said the Austrian - REUTERS
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Mixed pairs Chen-Toh, Hoo-Cheng seek confidence boost ahead of Paris biggie
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin are seeking a much needed confidence boost in the Macau Open which starts tomorrow. The Super 300 Macau tourney will present Tang Jie-Ee Wei and Pang Ron-Su Yin with a last opportunity to win a title before the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris. Both pairs have not captured a title this year and have struggled to produce their best form. World No. 4 Tang Jie-Ee Wei's best result so far this year were semi-final finishes in the Opens in Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Japan while world No. 13 Pang Ron-Su Yin have only made the last eight twice in the Indonesian Masters and Orleans Masters. The former have also faced off-court issues and split at the end of March after a strained relationship before resolving their differences and reuniting less than a month later. Meanwhile, Pang Ron-Su Yin are finding it tougher at the highest level after a breakthrough 2024 and have suffered eight early round exits this year. The pair will be hoping to turn around their form in Macau where they will be seeded third while Tang Jie-Ee Wei will start as the top seeds. Tang Jie-Ee Wei should have no problems getting past Leong Lok Chong-Ng Weng Chi in the first round while Pang Ron-Su Yin have a trickier opening task against Indonesia's Bobby Setiabudi-Melati Daeva. Pang Ron-Su Yin will also be under pressure to at least reproduce their showing last year where they made it into the semi-finals as anything less this time will see them lose ranking points. Both the Malaysian pairs' toughest challengers for the title could be China's second seeds Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi and Indonesia's fourth seeds Rehan Naufal-Gloria Emanuelle. Meanwhile, the other Malaysian mixed pairs hoping to make an impression in the tourney are Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing, Loo Bing Kun-Go Pei Kee, Liew Xun-Ho Lo Ee and Wee Yee Hern-Chan Wen Tse.
