Angie bags maiden Asian title
Published on: Friday, June 27, 2025
Published on: Fri, Jun 27, 2025
By: GL Oh Text Size: (From left) Asyraf, Angie and Eva with their medals. Kota Kinabalu: World champion Angie Yan Jia Chi captured the Asian U23 female wai kru title for the first time at the IFMA Asian Muaythai Championship 2025 held in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam on Wednesday. She defeated Indonesian Junetha Melva Christia in the final round to take her second title of the year following the earlier triumph at the IFMA Senior World Championship 2025 U23 in Turkey. Fellow Sabahans Asraf Danial and Eva Anastasia also did extremely well for the national team by delivering two silvers in the U23 category. Asraf came in second behind LJ Rafael Yasay of the Philippines in the male wai kru discipline, while Eva lost the final in the female's 45kg combat to Kazakhstan's Dayana Duisengali and had to settle for the silver. Malaysia, represented by only six athletes, finished seventh overall in the competition with two golds, two silvers and one bronze. The other gold was won by team captain Mohd Wassof Rumijam in the U23 male – 54kg combat, while the bronze from Damia Husna in the U23 female – 45kg combat. State coach Cyrille Dhillon Tahing, who was appointed head coach for the contingent, was proud of the achievement. 'I'm extremely proud of the dedication, discipline, and heart displayed by our athletes throughout the IFMA Asian Championship. 'This success is the result of strong teamwork and tireless effort from the athletes and everyone working behind the scenes. 'It will undoubtedly inspire and motivate more young athletes in the country to aim higher and pursue success on the international stage. 'Special recognition goes to our three Sabahan athletes who showed incredible spirit and composure on the international stage. 'Their outstanding performances reflect not only their personal commitment, but also the rising standard of Muaythai in Sabah as a whole. 'Angie's gold and Asyraf's silver in wai kru, and Eva's silver in combat are testament to their hard work and strong fighting spirit,' he said. He also expressed his gratitude to the national and state body as well as the Sabah Sports Council. 'I would like to sincerely thank the Malaysia Muaythai Association for the trust and support given to me to lead the national team, and also to Sabah Muaythai Association and Sabah Sports Council for their continuous support.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * 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
The Star
37 minutes ago
- The Star
Successful doubles players treat teammates to a retreat in Genting
Standing tall: Men's doubles champions Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (in dark blue attire) and runners-up Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik posing with their coaches Herry and Miftakh after the final at the Malaysian Masters this year. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: National men's doubles pairs Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun had a unique way of celebrating their recent title wins by treating the entire men's doubles squad to a short retreat in Genting Highlands. The initiative was a show of appreciation from the two top pairs, who acknowledged the contributions of their teammates in the men's doubles camp as an important part of their success. It was confirmed by national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky, who said the retreat was aimed at strengthening team spirit, providing a chance for the players to relax, and motivating each other ahead of upcoming tournaments. Last month proved to be a memorable one for the national badminton camp. Aaron-Wooi Yik, fresh from being crowned Asian champions, carried their momentum into the Thailand Open, where they captured the title. A week later in Kuala Lumpur, the pair reached the final of the Malaysian Masters, only to be denied by Wei Chong-Kai Wun in an all-Malaysian showdown, with the world No. 7 pair emerging victorious. Aaron-Wooi Yik continued their impressive form by lifting the Singapore Open crown the following week in the Lion City. Earlier in January, Wei Chong-Kai Wun had already made their mark with a title win at the Indonesian Masters at Istora Senayan. "Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun actually expressed their appreciation to the back-up men's doubles players for their support in helping them win their recent titles. "Instead of treating them to lunch or dinner, the men's doubles group decided to go for a relaxing retreat together for some team-building and to motivate one another," said Rexy when contacted. However, Rexy did not join the retreat this time as he was unwell. The session was instead overseen and managed by head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi. The players are expected to return to a packed schedule starting next month, with the focus on the Japan Open from July 15–20, followed by the China Open from July 22–27.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Man City crush Juventus, Real Madrid reach Club World Cup last 16
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated their Club World Cup credentials with a 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday while Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to secure a spot in the last 16. Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia beat Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 to pip Salzburg to the last berth in the knockout phase, as Al Ain battled to a 2-1 win over Wydad Casablanca in the day's other game. City became the only side at the tournament to win all three of their group matches as they put Juventus to the sword in front of 54,320 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando. City now face Al Hilal, the only Asian representative in the next round after goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Brazilian Marcos Leonardo against Pachuca. 'We played well and I'm happy with the victory,' said City winger Jeremy Doku, who opened the scoring. Doku pounced for the early opener after new arrival Rayan Ait-Nouri set him up with a clever ball. However City stopper Ederson passed the ball straight to Teun Koopmeiners who levelled for Juventus, in one of the few moments in which Guardiola's team let their focus slip. Pierre Kalulu bundled into his own net from Matheus Nunes' cross to restore City's lead. The Premier League side, hoping to make up for a poor season by their standards in which they finished without a major trophy, stepped up a level after the break with Erling Haaland's introduction. The Norwegian striker tapped home the third and then helped create the fourth for Phil Foden, before Savinho smashed home from distance for the fifth. Dusan Vlahovic netted late on for Juve but it did not take the shine off an impressive triumph for City, who were able to give holding midfielder Rodri a first start after his long injury lay-off. 'Manchester City have a lot better (quality of) players than us, that's the truth, that needs to be acknowledged,' said Juventus coach Igor Tudor as his side finished second in Group G. 'The stars didn't align for us to play better tonight.' Al Ain got the better of Wydad in Washington, DC in a meeting of two teams who were already eliminated but were hoping to sign off with a victory. South African striker Cassius Mailula blasted the Moroccans into an early lead but Togo international Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba levelled from the spot just before the break for Al Ain. That was their first goal of the tournament after 5-0 and 6-0 thrashings by Juve and City respectively, and Paraguayan international Alejandro Romero curled home from the edge of the box to earn the team from the United Arab Emirates victory. Vinicius stars in Madrid win Vinicius scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Madrid saw off Salzburg in Philadelphia to clinch top spot in Group H. Real play Juventus in the last 16 in Miami on Tuesday. The Brazil star Vinicius opened the scoring after a superb defence-splitting pass by Jude Bellingham on 40 minutes, to the delight of the vast majority of the 64,811 crowd on a rainy night at Lincoln Financial Field. Vinicius then set up Federico Valverde with a clever backheel to make it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time. Young striker Gonzalo Garcia ran through to wrap up the win late on with his second goal of the tournament, as Xabi Alonso's team end the first round of FIFA's new tournament unbeaten. 'I am pleased with the boys, and now the interesting phase begins,' Alonso told broadcaster DAZN. Real were once again without top scorer Kylian Mbappe, who has yet to play at the tournament as he recovers from illness. 'We thought Kylian would make it and it wasn't to be. Now we have four days and I want to be optimistic but cautious at the same time,' Alonso said.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Inzaghi proud as Al-Hilal join 'the best' in Club World Cup knockout stage
FILE PHOTO: Jun 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Al Hilal FC head coach Simone Inzaghi watches play against FC Salzburg in the first half during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images/File Photo (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal became the only Asian side to reach the Club World Cup's knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Pachuca on Thursday, finishing their Group H campaign unbeaten and setting up a round-of-16 meeting with Manchester City. Al-Hilal showed they could compete with the best teams in the world when they held Real Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg to draws in their first two games under new coach Simone Inzaghi. They have conceded just one goal in their three matches, sharing the best defensive record of the group stage with Paris St Germain and Monterrey. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Al-Hilal, majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, have signed a string of world-class players over the last two years including Neymar, Malcom, Ruben Neves, Marcos Leonardo and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Although Neymar has left the club and Mitrovic remains sidelined with a calf injury, the depth of the squad has allowed Al-Hilal to weather the pressure of the big stage. KEY QUOTES Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi: "Our goal was to achieve (being in) the group of the best teams in the world. "It was not an easy task, but the team was well united. It fought during the three games for a great objective ... we were not coming here just to have fun, we were coming here to play a World Cup and we wanted to reach this stage. "Now we'll have to play against Manchester City ... it's one of the greatest teams in the world. These are the games where you can improve and you can mature as a team, so I'm very proud." (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
