Young Kota Kinabalu gymnasts strut their stuff
Published on: Friday, April 25, 2025
Published on: Fri, Apr 25, 2025
By: Jozie John Text Size: The young gymnasts who showcased their skills at the meet. Kota Kinabalu: The energetic movements of 68 young gymnasts took centre stage at the 2025 Kota Kinabalu District School Sports Council (MSSD) Artistic Gymnastics Championship, held at the Likas Sports Complex. The event highlighted the remarkable potential of the district's junior athletes. Over two action-packed days, the Gymnastics Hall was filled with cheers and a strong sense of camaraderie as gymnasts from 23 schools competed passionately for a coveted spot in the Sabah School Sports Council (MSSS) championship. Organised by Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Stella Maris, the tournament, which took place on April 21-22, was divided into four categories: Boys Under-12, Boys Under-15, Girls Under-12 and Girls Under-15. The events contested included Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Vault, Pommel Horse and Parallel Bars. In his opening remarks, SK Stella Maris headmaster James Johnny expressed gratitude to all those involved in ensuring the success of the event, including teachers, coaches, judges, and parents. 'This year's MSSD tournament was incredibly intense. Every gymnast gave their best performance, and it's clear that there is immense potential among the young athletes in Kota Kinabalu,' he said. A total of 24 gymnasts were selected to represent the district at the (MSSS) championship next month. Additionally, 12 gymnasts from the Under-18 category have automatically qualified for the MSSS competition. James also highlighted the importance of consistent training and the vital role of coaches in shaping athletes who are not only skilled but also disciplined and focused on improving their performance. 'The results we see today are the fruit of continuous training, dedication, and the careful selection of athletes by our coaches. Parental support also plays a key role in the development of these young athletes,' he said. The tournament adhered to the regulations set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF), and the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM). James said that the main aim of the tournament was to identify young talent and spark interest in gymnastics at the school level. 'By participating in this tournament, students not only develop their athletic abilities but also contribute to their Physical Activity, Sports, and Co-Curricular Assessment (PAJSK) scores. Most importantly, it fosters a spirit of sportsmanship among the students,' he added. The event was officiated by the Kota Kinabalu district deputy education officer (student development sector), Bunsu Gaga, who commended the dedication and enthusiasm shown by both the participants and organisers. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Sivasangari stuns seventh seed, storms into British Open quarters
KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — National squash ace S. Sivasangari is through to the quarter-finals of the 2025 British Open after a thrilling five-game victory over Japan's Satomi Watanabe in Birmingham on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Malaysian displayed remarkable resilience to defeat the tournament's seventh seed 11-9, 11-9, 4-11, 4-11, 11-4 in a match lasting just over an hour. World number 24 Sivasangari started strongly by clinching the first two games before Watanabe fought back to level the match by taking the third and fourth. However, the Kedah-born player regained her composure in the decider, dominating the final game to secure her place in the last eight. Sivasangari will next face fourth seed Amina Orfi of Egypt as she continues her pursuit of a semi-final in the prestigious tournament. — Bernama
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
‘The Beautiful Game' falls for AI's charms as tech revolutionises football's future
PARIS, June 4 — Sport has been unable to resist the surge of artificial intelligence and the biggest one of them all, football, is benefitting from data that AI can supply and the human eye cannot. Warsaw-based Vision, which says it is unique in gathering data by using AI, has two immediate goals — women's football and re-igniting Generation Z's interest in watching sports, their co-founder Pawel Osterreicher told AFP. The company — which numbers the South American football body Conmebol and their Central American counterparts Concacaf among their clients — are able to capture data from matches from just a single camera angle. This makes gathering data much cheaper, as players do not need to wear any technology, and there is no need for multiple cameras to capture the data, thanks to AI. Vision's programme — which was used at last year's Copa America — was recently awarded Fifa certification. Osterreicher says AI can provide data on aspects of football that humans cannot, such as acceleration, passing lanes, heat maps and zones of control. He said the data can help the 'Goliaths' as well as the 'Davids', just as it did by assisting in second-tier side Wisla Krakow's giantkilling exploits on their way to lifting the Polish Cup in 2024. However, despite this run of success the 36-year-old says he and his colleagues are not aiming for the men's World Cup or this year's men's World Club Cup. Instead they are targeting covering the inaugural women's World Club Cup in 2028, which fits in nicely with another of their aims, to halt the haemorrhage of Generation Z — people born from 1997 to 2012 — watching sports. 'What we see right now in the sports market in general is that women's sport grows at a much faster pace,' he said. 'Of course, from a lower base, but a much faster pace than men's sport. 'You can argue that men's is saturated. But one of the best investment opportunities and development opportunities in sports are currently women's franchises, women's sport and all the media around it.' 'More with less' Osterreicher says this could be a way to reboot the interest of younger viewers 'who are flocking away'. The young 'expect to get excited immediately... I have five seconds and if not, I'm swiping away. 'So women's sport is also potentially an opportunity for sport to attract younger audiences because maybe it's just too boring just to watch all the same setups, all the same guys,' he said. 'So lots of investment is being directed in women's sports and from our perspective as well. 'We're agnostic. Human is a human. We capture data on humans, not on particular genders. 'But definitely, more and more customers are asking us to just cover women's leagues.' Osterreicher — who along with his colleagues set up the company five years ago — says he is a 'realist', adding not everyone should use the technology as it is a 'complex thing, it requires certain resources'. Nevertheless Wisla's cup victory showed that you 'can do more with less'. 'You can have a smaller team wisely using technology and then beating the big guys,' he said. He added, though, that it is not a 'silver bullet' as human frailties can come into play. 'A player might have had a row with his wife and be off his game,' he said. While this technology is already tried and tested, Osterreicher and his team are months away from dealing another card to try and claw back the young audience, whose loyalty has switched to TikTok, Netflix and other platforms. 'The way for sports to address it is to create content which is much more to their liking,' he said. 'So you can recreate a game in 3D, which is what we are planning to do. 'So imagine a legendary goal being scored, or any goal being scored, and you switch to a replay from player perspective. 'So we are potentially entering the world where sport needs to reinvent itself a little bit, change the way it's being served, in order to not lose those people to TikToks and the video games and mobile games of the world.' — AFP
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
‘Not easy to earn': Para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou hails KMN award as rare honour from King
KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — National para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou is thankful for the Bintang Kesatria Mangku Negara (KMN) he was awarded in conjunction with the official birthday celebration of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, at Istana Negara yesterday. Cheah described the award from Sultan Ibrahim as an extraordinary recognition of his badminton career. 'I am proud of this achievement. As everyone knows, His Majesty is very strict in giving out such awards and it's not easy to obtain. 'To me, it's like I have reached a different level because I have brought glory to the country on the international stage,' he said when contacted by Bernama today. Cheah was among 14 individuals who received the KMN award at the presentation of the 2025 Federal awards, medals and honours in conjunction with His Majesty's official birthday. Cheah, at the same time, said he wishes to fully focus on his recovery process from a leg injury before returning to competitive action next year. The 37-year-old is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, having emerged victorious in the men's SU5 category at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 editions. He has also won the world title 14 times in two categories - men's singles (eight times) and men's doubles (six times). — Bernama
