Day: June 2, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Harimau Malaya have suffered yet another casualty due to injury, with Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) top goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed pulling out of the squad for two crucial Group D matches in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers this month.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed in a Facebook post last night that Ahmad Syihan will have to abandon his hopes of joining the central training camp ahead of the remaining qualifiers after being informed by his club’s doctor.

The 28-year-old goalkeeper is the sixth player to be injured, following the sidelining of five key attackers earlier: wingers Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, and strikers Darren Lok, Muhammad Syafiq Ahmad and Romel Morales.

“Harimau Malaya head coach Kim Pan Gon will not call up a replacement player, instead opting to stick with the three existing goalkeepers – Azri Ab Ghani, Kalamullah Al-Hafiz Mat Rowi and Sikh Izhan Nazrel Sikh Azman,” according to the p
ost.

FAM said Selangor FC midfielder Nooa Laine will join the national squad tomorrow, completing the 25-member team that will fly to Bishkek on Tuesday for their next match against the hosts, Kyrgyzstan, at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on June 6.

Malaysia will conclude their Group D campaign against Taiwan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here on June 11.

After four matches, Malaysia are third in the group with six points, while Kyrgyzstan are at the top, sharing nine points with second-placed Oman, and Taiwan are at the bottom without any points.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Sports legend Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan hopes that national runners Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi and Shereen Samson Vallabouy will continue to “sprint” towards qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics in July.

He said they have no choice but to give it their best shot, as the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) had mentioned that only one Malaysian athlete could compete in Paris as a wildcard entry.

“I hope Azeem and Shereen, who have this last-minute opportunity to qualify and participate in the Olympics, will seize it. I believe they are both talented and it would certainly add value if they can join the Olympics.

“There are a few more competitions to participate in, so that’s the only chance they have. They need to prove their capabilities to the fullest if they want to get there (Paris),” he said when met by Bernama at the ”Jom Jalan” programme with the National Press Club (NPC) here today.

The MAF has confirmed that the two national sprinters are on MAF’s list to be given a wildcard slot
to represent Malaysia in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

MAF’s selection committee needs to submit one of their names to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) by July 8 if both athletes cannot qualify on merit.

Muhammad Azeem, the national 100m record holder with a time of 10.09s, has a season’s best of only 10.24s, which he recorded at the LSU Invitational Athletics Championships in Los Angeles on April 27.

However, this time is still far from the Paris 100m qualifying mark of 10s.

Shereen, the national women’s 400m record holder at 51.80s, needs to clock at least 50.95s to qualify for the Olympics.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, National women’s athlete Shereen Samson Vallabouy created a sensation when she broke the national record she set herself in 400 metres (m) at the Music City Track Carnival Championships in Tennessee, USA, yesterday.

In the final that took place at Dean A. Hayes Stadium, Murfreesboro, Shereen finished the race in second place with a time of 51.79 seconds (s) according to the tournament website https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=7346.

With the timing, the Perak-born athlete successfully erase the record of 51.80s she set herself at the 63rd Mt SAC Relays Annual Athletics Championship, California, United States in April last year.

Earlier Jamaican athlete Leah Anderson clinched the gold when she was the fastest across the finish line with a record of 51.67s while the bronze went to home athlete Na’asha Roinson with a run of 51.82s.

Although the 26-year-old athlete broke her record yesterday, she still needs to run at least 50.95s if she wants to qualify for the Paris Olympics opening in July.

The
Malaysia Athletics Federation (MAF) selection committee must submit the name of either Shereen or Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) before July 8 if the two athletes are unable to qualify on merit.

Muhammad Azeem, who is the national 100m record holder with a record of 10.09s, set his best record of the season at 10.24s while competing at the LSU Invitational Athletics Championships in Los Angeles on April 27.

However, that record is still a long way off when compared to qualifying for Paris which requires him to record 10s to qualify on merit for the event.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

After nearly two months of rest and missing three Super League games due to injury, the return of the Croatia-born star is sure to delight fans of the Turtles who miss his action and sharp finishing.

TFC sports director Zul Fadli Rozi said the 27-year-old TFC player has completed undergoing treatment with specialists in Croatia and will return to Terengganu tomorrow.

However, he said further examinations will be carried out by the TFC medical team to ensure that he is ready to undergo full training with other teammates.

“Ivan Mamut is in the process of healing due to a left Achilles tendon injury suffered during the pre-season match.

“Upon arrival here, our medical team will assess whether he is healthy enough to undergo full training or whether he needs to continue rehabilitation treatment,” he said in a statement on TFC’s Facebook page today.

Commenting further, Zul Fadli said TFC desperately needed Mamut’s return to strengthen the attack machinery for the Super League and FA Cup matches scheduled to
take place on June 14.

Accordingly, he requested supporters to pray for the player’s speedy recovery to help the team in this season’s competition.

TFC got off to a flying start in the Super League by winning two and drawing one of their opening three matches against Perak FC, Kelantan Darul Naim (KDN) FC and Penang FC to finish second with seven points.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The inaugural “Jom Jalan Bersama NPC” programme today attracted over 200 participants, including former athletes, journalists, young people and members of the public.

National Press Club (NPC) president Datuk Ahirudin Attan said the programme, organised in collaboration with the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Athletics Association, aimed to assist the government and sports bodies in inculcating an interest among young people in pursuing sports, particularly athletics, as a career.

“There are over 200 participants … but for a start, we are grateful to have many young people participating. Most importantly, we want to discover young talent by having them join the walking event; who knows, through this programme, we might unearth a ‘future national champion’,” he said when met at the programme.

He said NPC also intends to revive events like The Malay Mail Big Walk, which at its height could attract 10,000 to 12,000 participants, within the next five years.

NPC, Malaysia’s oldest press club,
plans to expand today’s programme by organising walking clinics at the school level, he said.

“Hopefully, next year we can also organise this programme on a larger scale to attract the attention of other sponsors and make it a family event. We will try to hold a mini concert to attract more people and also open the walk events to international participants,” he said.

Jom Jalan Bersama NPC featured two main categories – a competitive 10km walk for men, women, boys and girls, and a 5km fun walk open to all ages from seven years and above.

Among those who participated in today’s event were former national sprinters Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan and Datuk Shahrudin Ali, Malaysian Olympians Association president Noraseela Mohd Khalid, former national walker Mohamed Shahrulhaizy Abdul Rahman and artiste Ahirine Ahirudin.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency