Latest news with #AsianJuniorChampionships
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia's wushu athletes eye Youth Olympic medals
KUALA LUMPUR: Wushu starlets Kwan Yong Xin and Lee Ronn have set their sights on next year's Youth Olympic Games after striking gold at the Asian Junior Championships in Jiangyin, China. Yong Xin delivered Malaysia's first gold with a flowing performance that earned her 9.426 points in the girls' 16–18 taijijian (taiji sword) yesterday. Singapore and Vietnam took silver (9.333) and bronze (9.316) respectively. She had earlier earned silver in the traditional taijiquan after scoring 9.356. China took gold with 9.420. Yong Xin is looking forward to wushu's much-anticipated debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. "I'm very happy to have achieved this and am looking forward to the Youth Olympic Games," she said. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Lee Ronn clinched gold in both the boys' 14–15 daoshu (broadsword) and gunshu (stick) events. He topped the daoshu final with 9.336 points, ahead of Taiwan (9.330) and Indonesia (9.320). Later in the day, the Melaka lad dazzled with another gold in the gunshu event, scoring 9.303. Singapore (9.266) and Indonesia (9.260) settled for silver and bronze respectively. Malaysia also took another gold through Logan Lim in the boys' 13 and under nandao (sword) with a score of 9.106. Malaysia wrapped up their campaign in China with an overall haul of four gold, six silver and seven bronze, finishing seventh out of 20 participating nations. Malaysia Wushu Federation president Datuk Chong Kim Fatt said the athletes' performance is a promising sign for the Youth Olympic Games.
The Star
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Qurratu'Ain strikes it right again – and this one hits home
All smiles: Qurratu'Ain Izdihar Pozi (left) and Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee posing for a photograph after their Asian Junior Championships girls' doubles event. PETALING JAYA: Qurratu'Ain Izdihar Pozi's joy was unmistakable as she stood tall with her second gold medal at the Asian Junior Championships – a win that meant more than just topping the podium.
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Qurratu'Ain - Adelia bag second gold for Malaysia in Asian junior meet
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Junior bowling team have won their second gold in the Asian Junior Championships. The girls' doubles pair of Qurratu'Ain Izdihar Pozi and Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee top the standings with 2,440 pinfalls at the Qatar International Bowling Centre in Doha on Tuesday (July 29). Taiwan took silver and bronze, with Ho Yi Qing and Huang Hsin Tsen scoring 2,242 pinfalls and Li Yi Rou and Chen Yun Ying scoring 2,222 pinfalls. For Qurratu'Ain, it is her second gold in the competition after winning the singles on Sunday.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Jonassen: They are our best junior shuttlers — like it or not
KUALA LUMPUR: "They are the best junior shuttlers in the country." National coaching director Kenneth Jonassen has finally broken his silence following Malaysia's poor showing at the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia, last week. Despite the disappointment, Jonassen remains optimistic and ambitious, insisting the current crop of players can rise, with proper training and patience. In Solo, all five Malaysian boys' singles shuttlers — Roslie Razeeq Daniel, Louis Lee, Ayu Fu Sheng, Lim Boon Le and Kong Wei Xiang — crashed out in the last 16. It was the same story in the girls' singles, with Ng Ler Qi, Lim Zhi Shin, Oo Shan Zi, Lee Mun and Low Zi Yu also falling at the same stage. Malaysia fared slightly better in the doubles, with three pairs reaching the quarter-finals: girls' pair Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu and mixed doubles Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Datu Anif Isaac Asrah-Dania Sofea. Jonassen, however, said Malaysia must stop chasing instant results. "We're always looking for medals. But what do you do when these are the best players we've got?" he said at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on Tuesday. "We don't have the luxury of picking 10 more players of the same calibre. No country does. I may be disappointed with a few individual performances, but I didn't expect much more from our singles players in Solo." Jonassen admitted he dreams big but insists his goals are realistic. "My ambitions are high, but I know where we are and what needs fixing. It takes time. I have the patience, especially when I see the effort our players and coaches are putting in." His remarks came a day after former national coach Wong Tat Meng warned that Malaysian badminton faces a bleak future unless urgent changes are made. Jonassen believes the path forward hinges on three key elements: physical strength, tactical discipline, and a competitive mindset. "These are the missing pieces," he said. "Some already have the physical strength, but others must build it. Tactical discipline — sticking to a game plan — is crucial. "But the most important trait is mental toughness. Being able to handle expectations, pressure, and still perform at your best when you're out there — that's what separates the good from the great."
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Poor results at Asian Juniors get ex-coaches Tat Meng and Mee Fen all worried
PETALING JAYA: Former coaches Wong Tat Meng and Ng Mee Fen have called for an honest review into the shuttlers' poor performance at the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia. Malaysia came home empty-handed from the tournament which ended on Sunday, a repeat of their 2023 edition in Yogyakarta. Tat Meng, who was singles coach in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) from 2003 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016 and Mee Fen, who was a junior coach in the national team for four years, expressed their concern via social media over the disappointing outing, especially in the singles. None of the players in the boys' and girls' singles even made it to the quarter-finals in the individual event. 'Am I the only one who wonders what happened to our junior players' performance in the Asian Junior meet in Solo?' questioned Mee Fen. 'It's worrisome especially in the singles department. Most of our current senior players can play for another Olympic cycle but we have yet to identify the junior players who can replace the seniors in five years' time. 'Challenging times ahead for the juniors and hopefully actions will be taken to improve the standard of the players before it's too late.' Tat Meng, who responded to Mee Fen's post, said: 'Thanks for raising this. You're definitely not the only one concerned. 'I'm actually here in Solo watching the Asian Junior meet and I have to say, it was disappointing and quite sad to see that none of our singles players made it to the quarter-finals. 'Even though I'm no longer based in Malaysia, I still care deeply, especially having been part of the national coaching set-up in the past. 'It really makes me question what has been going wrong with our junior development system for the past how many years? I don't know. 'We have talent, no doubt, but something fundamental isn't translating into results at the international level. 'It's time for an honest review and a clear long-term direction. Otherwise, we risk an even more serious gap in our singles department moving forward,' added Tat Meng. Siti Zulaikha Azmi offered the one bright spot for the girls' singles when she won bronze in last year's Asian Juniors but the last boys' singles medallist for Malaysia was Leong Jun Hao, who captured gold in 2017. In the girls' singles, Goh Jin Wei was the last Malaysian to win a medal when she triumphed in 2018.
