Qabil and Quzandria simply a class above

December 10, 2007

QABIL Ambak Mahamad Fathil and younger sister Quzandria Nur (pic) proved to be a  class above the rest as they gave Malaysia a 1-2 finish in the individual dressage  competition at the Horseshoe Point and Thai Polo Club in Pattaya yesterday.

Qabil, on Dexter, took the gold medal with a score of 70.150 while Quzandria, who  rode Lewes, clinched the silver on 67.250. Thailand’s Chalermcharn Yotviriyapanit,  on Waldzauber, finished third on 66.200.

It was Qabil’s second gold medal of the Games after he helped Malaysia win the  dressage team gold on Friday.

It was the second double for Qabil in the biennial Games after the Kuala Lumpur  edition in 2001.

“I am delighted to have contributed another gold medal for the country in a major  competition,” said Qabil.

“Dexter is my new horse. I only had him for a couple of months at my training base  in Anaheim (Holland). But we have managed to get along well in such a short time.

“Initially in the SEA Games, we committed a few errors but as the competition wore  on, we just got better.”

In the team competition, Qabil posted the second best score behind team-mate Putri  Alia Soraya Ahmad Shuhaimi. But in Saturday’s qualifying session for the individual  final, Qabil came out tops.

“We combined very well together again in the final with only minimal mistakes for a  comfortable victory,” said Qabil.

However, Qabil has to put his celebrations on hold as he has to change his mindset  quickly to compete in the show jumping event, which starts today.

Besides Qabil, the other Malaysians for the show jumping event are his elder  brother, Quzier, Syazna Leena Zulhasnan and Syed Omar Almohdzar.

“It’s going to require a quick switch in riding style but it’s just something I just  have to do,” said Qabil who is the defending champion for the individual  competition.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp? file=/2007/12/10/sports/19716283&sec=sports

Swimmer Daniel qualifies for three events at Olympics

December 10, 2007

THE exploits of Malaysian swimmer Daniel Bego get better and better.

He pulled off a stunning victory in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Aquatics Centre of the Korat Sports Complex last night and in the process became the first Malaysian swimmer to qualify for three events in the Olympics.

The 18-year-old won the race from the outside lane in 54.33, leaving United States-trained James Walsh of the Philippines in his wake f or silver in 55.47.

Another foreign trained swimmer, Andy Wibowo of Indonesia, took bronze in 55.59.

Daniel, who just completed his SPM examinations before flying off to Korat, not only smashed his own national record of 54.40 set at the World Youth Championships in Brazil last year but also demolished the four-year-old SEA Games record of 55.04 held by Lim Keng Liat.

While Daniel was able to retain the 100m butterfly title, securing an Olympic spot in Beijing in the event must have meant more to him.

The Sarawakian had qualified for the 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle in an international meet in Japan in August.

As the slowest qualifier for the 100m butterfly final yesterday with a time of 57.28, Daniel had to swim in Lane 1.

But he saved his best for last and finished nearly one body length ahead of Walsh.

“I did not want to go all out in the morning because I was determined to hold on to this gold,” said Daniel, who also swam in the men’s 400m freestyle heats but did not make the final.

“I was pacing myself in the 100m butterfly and it was quite risky. I would not have made it if I had been a second slower.

“For the final, I told myself that I did not want to repeat this and I just went all out.”

Daniel’s performance was least expected, considering he was not in the best of shape going into the competition. He settled for the silver in the men’s 100m freestyle on Saturday.

Coach Gavin Urquhart said: “He had not been training as much as the others because of his exams. Making it worse was the fever after arriving here. But to me, he is a Ferrari and since Daniel has a day’s rest today, he should be fresh in his bid to end the competition on a high.”

Daniel is down to defend his 200m freestyle title and will attempt to better his previous haul in Manila by winning the 200m butterfly as well.

“I will just take whatever that comes first,” added Daniel.

Earlier, Malaysia’s Kevin Yeap led the field for the first 300m in the men’s 400m freestyle. However, the youngster ran out of steam and finished sixth in 4:04.60.

In the men’s 100m backstroke, Malaysia’s Linvern Lim and Eric Chang finished fifth (1:00.09) and sixth (1:01.02) respectively.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/
2007/12/10/sports/19716373&sec=sports

Fong Ying the first Malaysian woman to win gold in wushu

December 10, 2007

DEBUTANT Chai Fong Ying strut her way into the history books as the first Malaysian female wushu exponent to win a gold medal in the SEA Games at the Chanapolkhan Institute of Technology in Korat yesterday.

Fong Ying was confirmed as the winner of the taijiquan and taijijian all-round competition after dishing out a graceful performance in the taijijian (swordplay) to earn 9.55 points, taking her total to 19.18.

Another Malaysian, Ng Shin Yii, claimed the silver. Shin Yii scored 9.53 for a total of 19.09. Filipino Janice Hung took the bronze on 18.77.

The success for Fong Ying yesterday makes her the only Malaysian wushu exponent to hold the Asian Games, World Championships and SEA Games titles at the same time.

While Fong Ying made it look effortless, everything she has achieved came through personal sacrifices.

“I have taken two semesters off studies because of my preparations since the Asian Games last year,” said the 21-year-old Universiti Putra Malaysia student.

“My colleagues in the same batch have finished their studies but I guess this is what I love doing and good at it.”

National coach Yoong Thong Foong said they were looking forward to a bonus gold medal today.

The best bet is on the women’s nanquan all-round competition, which ends with the nangun (stick) routine.

Tai Cheau Xuen is the joint leader with Vu Thuy Linh of Vietnam after the completion of two routines with a total of 18.70.

Cheau Xuen scored 9.39 for the nandao (broadsword) yesterday while the Vietnamese exponent fared better with a 9.43.

Diana Bong is also in the running for the gold medal. She is just 0.1 point behind the joint leaders. Diana posted 9.42 in nandao to take her total to 18.69.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/
2007/12/10/sports/19714628&sec=sports