Sports

KUCHING, In the passion to become the overall champion of the 21st Malaysian Games (SUKMA), Sarawak never set aside the importance of continuing to identify back-up athletes capable of representing the country at international level. Sarawak SUKMA chef de mission, Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu said the 21st SUKMA can also be a yardstick to assess Sarawak’s ability to host events at a higher level, especially after it offered to host the SEA Games in 2027. “It is true that we want to be the overall champion (21st SUKMA) but we also want to see the continuation of sports development for

SEREMBAN, The Negeri Sembilan contingent is almost ready for the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Sarawak, which will take place from Aug 17 to 24. State Youth and Sports Development Committee chairman Mustapha Nagoor said the 500-strong contingent is now in the ‘cooling down’ phase before leaving for Sarawak. “We’re almost there. All the teams have been playing a lot of friendly matches lately. Now, they are in the cooling down stage, resting and focusing more on mental preparation, technique, and so on. We don’t want them to suffer injuries at the last minute,” said Mustapha, who is also the chef

PARIS, Following is the second-day medal tally of the Paris 2024 Olympics today: GOLD SILVER BRONZE Japan 4 2 1 Australia 4 2 0 USA 3 6 3 France 3 3 2 South Korea 3 2 1 China 3 1 2 Italy 1 2 3 Kazakhstan 1 0 2 Belgium 1 0 1 Germany 1 0 0 Hong Kong 1 0 0 Uzbekistan 1 0 0 …MALAYSIA 0 0 0 Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SEPANG, National sprint champion Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi now sports a fresher look in conjunction with his debut appearance at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Gone is the long ‘mullet’ hairstyle; Muhammad Azeem has opted to sprint at the Stade de France with a new, shorter, and tidier hairstyle. The 20-year-old athlete joked that he might keep his new haircut if he achieves notable success at this Olympic Games. “This new hairstyle is to build up my confidence. Actually, I haven’t cut my hair for almost three years; previously, I stuck with the ‘mullet’, but this time it’s considered

PARIS, National women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah gave the national contingent a huge shot in the arm with a stunning victory over world number six Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan on Day Two of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The world number 13 Malaysians produced an energetic and aggressive performance to bounce back from a game down to defeat the 2018 and 2019 world champions from Japan 18-21, 21-15, 21-16 in a Group A match at the Porte De La Chapelle Arena. The win has revived the Malaysians’ hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals after their opening Group A loss