Latest news with #IndianOpen
The Star
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Aaron-Soh Singapore Open victory a proud moment for Malaysia, says Dr Wee
PETALING JAYA: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong congratulated Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik for defeating South Korea to clinch the Singapore Open. 'Huge congratulations to Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik on clinching the Singapore Open title with an incredible comeback win!' he wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday (June 1) evening. He noted that their victory marked a 'sweet revenge' for the pair after their semi-final loss to the South Korean pair Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae at the Indian Open in January. On Sunday, Aaron-Soh overcame 15-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 65-minute final match in Singapore. The Singapore Open is their third title this season after winning the Asian Championships in April and Thailand Open last month 'From falling short in India to striking back in style – this victory not only marks sweet revenge over their Korean opponents but also completes a sensational first career hat-trick after their triumphs at the Badminton Asian Championships and the Thailand Open! 'Proud moment for Malaysia!' Dr Wee said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Srabani shines with relay silver on intl comeback
Srabani Nanda made a comeback to the national team for the Asian Athletics Championships after almost three years having last competed for India in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. There she competed in the 4x100m women's relay but the quartet of Nanda, Hima Das, Dutee Chand and Jyothi Yarraji narrowly missed the podium after finishing fourth in the final with a timing of 43.81 seconds. It was a tough loss but the veteran sprinter turned back the clock on Saturday evening in Gumi, South Korea, to bag a silver medal in the same event with a timing of 43.86 seconds in the Asian meet. Nanda ran the opening leg and was followed by Shena SS. 18-year-old Abhinaya Rajarajan then ran a blistering third leg while Nithya Gandhe was the anchor and crossed the finish line just behind China, who grabbed the gold with a timing of 43.28 seconds. Thailand grabbed the bronze medal. The Odisha sprinter, who was quite disappointed with her performance during the Indian Open in Ranchi earlier this year, was expectedly over the moon on Saturday as she won her third Asian Athletics medal. Speaking to TOI from Gumi, Nanda said, "I am very grateful. It's really nice and it's a happy and proud moment for me. In relay, it is all about teamwork and I want to thank all the team members for the support and the coordination so that we could deliver this result." The 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, meanwhile, was more than pleased with their baton exchanges, especially as the Indian men's 4x100m relay team were disqualified in the heats on Friday as an exchange was made outside the zone, and it was on everybody's mind. But the women's team did it to perfection. "In relay, the plan is always to get the best exchanges and be confident to do it well. And we were able to do it," added Nanda. "Overall it was a very calm, cool and good race." While her experience obviously played a huge role, the one-month training camp in Trivandrum after the Federation Cup under coach Seenivasan Ramaiah also made a big difference as they concentrated a lot on baton exchange, besides other key aspects of the race. "We could find out where we were lacking and we could work on it to get the best result. We also got great support from all the other athletes who gave us a lot of competition during the training," said the 200m former national champion before adding, "The plan was always to deliver the best and be confident and I think we kind of did it. But there is still so much room to get better." There's certainly no end to that but for now they can be happy with what they have achieved on the continental stage.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Gulveer completes a double; Pooja, Nandini too corner glory
Gulveer Singh became only the second Indian to claim the 5,000m-10,000m double gold at the Asian Athletics Championships and high jumper Pooja had the distinction of being the country's youngest champion in this edition as India added three gold and a silver to its tally on the penultimate day of the competition in Gumi, South Korea, on Friday. With this, India now has eight gold — two more than 2023 — seven silver and three bronze. Gulveer clocked 13:24.77 to add the 5K to his 10K gold from day one to emulate Govindan Lakshmanan's feat from 2017 and complete his double. Preserving energy but still staying part of the five-member leader pack till the last lap in hot and humid conditions, Gulveer gradually accelerated to open space, then kicked off with a burst of power in the final 200m to take the lead. Even though Kieran Tuntivate of Thailand and Nagiya Mori of Japan pushed hard, Gulveer had no problems crossing the finish line comfortably in front. Abhishek Pal finished sixth in 13:33.51. In heptathlon, Agasara Nandini consolidated her lead at the top to win gold in style to finish with 5941 points. In the process, she also improved her personal best by more than 100 points, having totalled 5813 during the recent Federation Cup. But the biggest surprise was from 18-year old Pooja, who set a new under-20 national record with a massive 1.89m jump to not only become the Asian champion in her maiden international outing at any level but also ensure India's first gold in a field event at the ongoing competition. Pooja, who jumped 1.85m at the national under-18 championships last year and equalled it at the Indian Open last month, also became only the second Indian woman high jumper to win a medal at the Asians after Bobby Aloysius in 2002. In the 3.000m steeplechase, Parul Chaudhary broke her own national record for the second time in less than a fortnight but was still unable to defend her title, managing a silver in 9:12.46, two seconds behind Norah Jeruto Tanui of Kazakhstan. The former Kenyan World champion had switched nationalities in 2022. Both Pooja and Twinkle Chaudhary, meanwhile, advanced to the final of the 800m, the former with a personal best of 2:02.70 in second spot and latter in 2:04.21. Krishan Kumar and Anu Kumar too booked their spots in the 800m with top-two finishes in their respective heats. Anu Raghavan and Vithya Ramraj too advanced to the 400m hurdles final while Animesh Kujur did so in the 200m. In the morning session, Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh both advanced to the javelin throw finals with efforts of 79.62m and 76.67m respectively for automatic qualification. Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, in his first competition since the Paris Games, threw a massive 86.34m in his opening attempt to top the qualification. The Indian men's 4x100m side, however, had to face a disastrous disqualification after officials deemed the first baton between Pranav Gurav and Ragul Kumar was exchanged outside the designated zone. With just 10 teams and eight spots in the final, it would have been a breeze for the Indians. Surprisingly, national record holder Gurindervir Singh was not fielded in the heat.
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Sze Fei-Izzuddin stand as world No. 1 with smooth win in Singapore
PETALING JAYA: Nearly a year after reuniting, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have reached the pinnacle as the world No. 1 men's doubles pair. Their debut match as the top-ranked pair went smoothly, defeating Taiwan's Lee Fang-chih and Lee Fang-jen 21-13, 21-11 in the Singapore Open's opening round on Wednesday (May 28). While many players struggled with the strong drift at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Sze Fei and Izzuddin adapted well and maintained control throughout the 32-minute match. They will face compatriots Wan Arif Wan Junaidi and Yap Roy King in the second round. "Our strategy worked well, and our preparation was on point," Izzuddin said in a BWF interview. "Our main focus is to play our best and not let anything interfere. We just want to enjoy the match," he added. Sze Fei and Izzuddin separated in January 2023 due to personal differences but reunited on May 31st last year to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Although they missed out on that goal, they quickly found success by winning the US Open and have continued to build momentum. Their decision to leave the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) did not slow them down. They went on to win six more titles, including the Indian Open earlier this year. "We've always enjoyed the process because we believe in it," said Sze Fei. "We are grateful to our team and sponsors who have supported us all the way. The world No. 1 ranking is something we dedicate to the entire country," he added. They view the progress of the national men's doubles department positively, with Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik currently ranked fourth and Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun sitting in seventh. "Now we have three strong pairs. This is a very good sign for the men's doubles team. No matter who is on court, we are all fighting for Malaysia and for the flag," he added.
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Holding on tight
No letting up: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will be out to raise their game since capturing the Indian Open title in January. PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani face a fight to maintain their world No. 1 ranking. In the latest rankings list updated yesterday, as expected, Sze Fei-Izzuddin officially overtook Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen to reach the coveted top spot for the first time in their careers after the latter failed to defend their Malaysian Masters title. The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 though is very close with the independent pair having 91,090 points while the Danish duo have 90,411 points. The narrow gap means Sze Fei-Izzuddin have no margin for error and need to perform well in the back-to-back Singapore Open and Indonesian Open or risk dropping to No. 2. The Malaysians will be out to raise their game after struggling for form since capturing the Indian Open title in January. Sze Fei-Izzuddin suffered early round exits in the All-England and Swiss Open in March before improving slightly to progress to the quarter-finals in the Asian Championships last month and Malaysian Masters last week. The duo's form lately is a far cry from the high standards they reached last year where they captured the China Open, Japan Open and Arctic Open titles and finished runners-up in the World Tour Finals and Asian meet. This year, Sze Fei-Izzuddin have been overshadowed by fellow Malaysians Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun. World No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were overtaken as the national No. 1 by Sze Fei-Izzuddin at the end of last year, have responded brilliantly by winning the Asian title and the Thailand Open earlier this month. World No. 7 Wei Chong-Kai Wun have also showed their capabilities by claiming the Indonesian Masters and Malaysian Masters crowns. Now, it's Sze Fei-Izzuddin's turn to rise to the challenge and keep hold of the No. 1 spot. The pair are the first Malaysians in the men's doubles to reach the top spot since Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong achieved the feat in 2016. In the Singapore Open, Sze Fei-Izzuddin will open their campaign today against Taiwan's world No. 20 Lee Fang-chih-Lee Fang-jen. Meanwhile, Aaron-Wooi Yik, who finished runners-up to Wei Chong-Kai Wun in the Malaysian tourney, have a tricky opening task against Denmark's world No. 16 Rasmus Kjaer-Frederk Sogaard. Wei Chong-Kai Wun will play Taiwan's world No. 27 Chen Zhi-ray-Lin Yu-chieh for a place in the second round. The other Malaysian men's doubles pairs in the fray are Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi. In the men's singles, world No. 25 Leong Jun Hao, who is the country's sole representative, will face China's world No. 27 Lei Lanxi in the first round. In the women's doubles, world No. 4 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah will be looking to get off to a winning start against Hong Kong's world No. 32 Lui Lok Lok-Tsang Hiu Yan.
