BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Disappointment was written all over the faces of the Malaysian archery trio which failed to advance to the Olympics men's team semifinal after losing by five points to Italy today in their Olympics debut.
What stood out in their 213-218 loss to the Italians was their lack of exposure in the highly-charged atmosphere of the Olympic Archery Field where the Olympic record was broken twice before the semifinals, said national coach Lee Jae Hyung.
"We had expected to go into the semifinals. The team event was our best bet. The individual championship is of a very high standard and, frankly, our chances are much slimmer and it will be an achievement if any of them make it to the last 16," said Lee, a Korean national, who has been coaching in Malaysia since 2001.
In the 24-arrow team knockout shoot divided into four bouts, Malaysia scored 54-55-51-54 while Italy had 54-55-55-54.
Cheng Chu Sian, normally the strongest of the trio, succumbed to nerves and shot a low 67 while Wan Khalmizam Abd Aziz posted 75 and Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman returned 71.
"He is normally the strongest but in Beijing, Wan Khalmizam was the best of the three," Lee said.
Wan Khalmizam, who broke his own national 72-arrow record during the rankings contest, said: "I think I shot well, my teammates could have done better."
Cheng and Wan Khalmizam are ranked 13th and 81st, respectively, in the world standings while Muhd Marbawi is in 100th spot.
"In the third end, I shot a six. It was too far to the right. So, I adjusted direction to the left but it was too much to the left and then I shot a seven. I was so nervous I didn't adjust well," Cheng said.
Malaysia had booked themselves into the last eight as one of the top four teams in the rankings contest and, this morning, they waited for the outcome of the Italy-Canada match.
"The Italians gained some advantage from having played one match but the main reason for our failure is experience. This is the team's first Olympics, the top teams here have archers who have been competing ever since the 1996 Atlanta Games," he said.
Lee remained optimistic of the team's future, saying it needed more experience of playing in high-level tournaments.
"Top teams take part in eight to 10 meets in a year. Malaysia does about four times at the most. That has to be changed," he said.
Poland set an Olympic record of 223 in beating Australia enroute to the quarterfinals where they were beaten by formidable South Korea who stretched the mark to 224.
The men's individual competition is scheduled for Wednesday.
-- BERNAMA
Monday, August 11, 2008
Olympic Day 4 - Badminton - Shuttler Chong Wei Whips Ronald Susilo, Poised For Quarterfinals
BEIJING, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's top bet for a medal in the Olympics, stamped his class over Ronald Susilo of Singapore 21-13, 21-14 in his opening second-round match today as all badminton seeds took to the courts Monday.
Chong Wei, who is seeded number two behind two-time reigning world champion Lin Dan of China, took just 38 minutes to shatter any hope Ronald may have had of repeating his upset of Lin Dan in the Athens Olympics four years ago.
"I was feeling a little stiff since this was the first match. But after taking the lead, from 9-9 to 13-9, I cooled down and was more relaxed," said Chong Wei, who is now poised to breeze into the quarterfinals.
His third-round opponent is either Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania or Stanislav Pukhov of Russia and a win will see him into the last eight.
"No matter who (it's going to be), I will not underestimate my opponent," said Chong Wei of his next round tie.
Ronald was the biggest opening hurdle for Chong Wei but the 29-year-old former Indonesian national was no match for the more skilful and fitter Malaysian.
After an overly eager start, Chong Wei settled down to exert his control, making good his overhead smashes to attack Ronald to his right.
"I was also trying to make use of the draft in the second game. I am still adjusting to the wind," he said.
Lin Dan, under pressure to deliver the gold, meets Hong Kong's Ng Wei in the evening. Malaysia's other men's singles player, Wong Choon Hann, faces defending champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
-- BERNAMA
Chong Wei, who is seeded number two behind two-time reigning world champion Lin Dan of China, took just 38 minutes to shatter any hope Ronald may have had of repeating his upset of Lin Dan in the Athens Olympics four years ago.
"I was feeling a little stiff since this was the first match. But after taking the lead, from 9-9 to 13-9, I cooled down and was more relaxed," said Chong Wei, who is now poised to breeze into the quarterfinals.
His third-round opponent is either Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania or Stanislav Pukhov of Russia and a win will see him into the last eight.
"No matter who (it's going to be), I will not underestimate my opponent," said Chong Wei of his next round tie.
Ronald was the biggest opening hurdle for Chong Wei but the 29-year-old former Indonesian national was no match for the more skilful and fitter Malaysian.
After an overly eager start, Chong Wei settled down to exert his control, making good his overhead smashes to attack Ronald to his right.
"I was also trying to make use of the draft in the second game. I am still adjusting to the wind," he said.
Lin Dan, under pressure to deliver the gold, meets Hong Kong's Ng Wei in the evening. Malaysia's other men's singles player, Wong Choon Hann, faces defending champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
-- BERNAMA
Olympic Day 3 : Badminton - Mew Choo Strives To Stay Cool Under Olympic Pressure
BEIJING, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Wong Mew Choo may have scalped several of the sport's biggest names but the Malaysian shuttler says she is getting the jitters in her Olympics debut and boyfriend, Lee Chong Wei, has been a tower of strength.
"He had one Olympic experience before and he keeps telling me not to be worried. I feel pressured here because the Olympics comes around once every four years, not like the world championships or other tournaments which are held every year," said the 25-year-old after an easy opening match Sunday night.
She took the opportunity instead to size up the arena at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium (BTG) in taking just 18 minutes to overwhelm South African minnow Kerry Lee Harrington 21-4, 21-4 in the second round.
Mew Choo said she was still trying to adjust to the draft inside the 7,500- capacity venue where all five badminton golds will be decided.
Asked if she was affected by camera flash from the stands despite repeated advice from the tournament organisers, the Malaysian said she did not notice the problem because she was more focused on the match and the overhead lights.
Asked by local newsmen about her target here, she replied: "My aim is not to think of any target at all but only the next match. I don't want to cause more anxiety to myself."
She is among the most watched outsider by China after denying Xie Xingfang the China Open crown in Guangzhou last year and beating Lu Lan in two of five encounters.
Xie and Lu are the first and third seeds while Mew Choo was given eighth billing. All three are in the upper half of the draw.
Mew Choo and Lu Lan are headed for a quarter-final clash. The Chinese cleared the second round, overpowering Karen Kune Foo of Mauritius who retired with cramps in the second game.
The Malaysian is again in for an easy third round as she is unlikely to be troubled by Bulgaria's Perva Nedelcheva or Egypt's Hadia Hosny.
"I have no idea of who they are but I will not write off any opponent," said Mew Choo.
She is the sole Malaysian women shuttler left after doubles pair, Chin Ee Hui and Wong Pei Tty, were ousted in their opening match earlier Sunday by fourth seeded Lee Hyojung and Lee Kyungwon of South Korea.
-- BERNAMA
"He had one Olympic experience before and he keeps telling me not to be worried. I feel pressured here because the Olympics comes around once every four years, not like the world championships or other tournaments which are held every year," said the 25-year-old after an easy opening match Sunday night.
She took the opportunity instead to size up the arena at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium (BTG) in taking just 18 minutes to overwhelm South African minnow Kerry Lee Harrington 21-4, 21-4 in the second round.
Mew Choo said she was still trying to adjust to the draft inside the 7,500- capacity venue where all five badminton golds will be decided.
Asked if she was affected by camera flash from the stands despite repeated advice from the tournament organisers, the Malaysian said she did not notice the problem because she was more focused on the match and the overhead lights.
Asked by local newsmen about her target here, she replied: "My aim is not to think of any target at all but only the next match. I don't want to cause more anxiety to myself."
She is among the most watched outsider by China after denying Xie Xingfang the China Open crown in Guangzhou last year and beating Lu Lan in two of five encounters.
Xie and Lu are the first and third seeds while Mew Choo was given eighth billing. All three are in the upper half of the draw.
Mew Choo and Lu Lan are headed for a quarter-final clash. The Chinese cleared the second round, overpowering Karen Kune Foo of Mauritius who retired with cramps in the second game.
The Malaysian is again in for an easy third round as she is unlikely to be troubled by Bulgaria's Perva Nedelcheva or Egypt's Hadia Hosny.
"I have no idea of who they are but I will not write off any opponent," said Mew Choo.
She is the sole Malaysian women shuttler left after doubles pair, Chin Ee Hui and Wong Pei Tty, were ousted in their opening match earlier Sunday by fourth seeded Lee Hyojung and Lee Kyungwon of South Korea.
-- BERNAMA
Olympic Day 3 : Swimming - Daniel Bego Splashes To 200m Freestyle National Record
BEIJING, Aug 10 (Bernama) - Daniel Bego broke his own national 200m freestyle record in the Olympic heats Sunday night, clocking 1:50.92s to better his previous mark of 1:51.05s at the national 'Water Cube' aquatics centre.
He finished sixth out of seven in the race which was dominated by American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Daniel, who is from Sarawak, holds two other national marks for the 100m butterfly and the 200m butterfly, his remaining events in his Olympics debut.
He is down to race in the 200m butterfly Monday night with hopes of making the semi-finals. He has a best of 1:59.40s.
In the women's 400m freestyle, Khoo Cai Lin faded out, finishing sixth in her heat in 4:23.37s, off her season best of 4:18.20s.
She still has one more event, the 800m freestyle.
-- BERNAMA
He finished sixth out of seven in the race which was dominated by American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Daniel, who is from Sarawak, holds two other national marks for the 100m butterfly and the 200m butterfly, his remaining events in his Olympics debut.
He is down to race in the 200m butterfly Monday night with hopes of making the semi-finals. He has a best of 1:59.40s.
In the women's 400m freestyle, Khoo Cai Lin faded out, finishing sixth in her heat in 4:23.37s, off her season best of 4:18.20s.
She still has one more event, the 800m freestyle.
-- BERNAMA
Olympic Day 3 : Highlight - US NBA stars roll past China
BEIJING (AFP) — The US team of National Basketball Association stars began its quest for Olympic redemption Sunday with a 101-70 victory over a China team that gave glances of a challenge.
Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, LeBron James added 18 and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard each added 13 for the Americans but China was impressive early, battling the US stars even for the first 14 minutes of the Group B contest.
US Olympic teams went 109-2 and won 12 gold medals through 2000 but were humbled in 2004 when NBA stars lost three times and settled for Athens bronze, sparking the new bid to reclaim the throne by the self-styled "Redeem Team".
China played surprisingly competitive with the Americans through most of the first half, the US pulling away only with a 20-7 run late in the second quarter on the way to a 49-37 half-time lead.
With an up-tempo style of their own, China showed vast progress over past meetings with NBA squads, showing aggressive defense and deadly 3-point shooting at times.
The much-awaited US-China showdown was expected to reach a global television audience approaching one billion people given the heavy interest in China and the worldwide appeal of the US NBA stars.
US President George W. Bush, his wife Laura and his father, former US president George Bush, plus former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were among the famous faces in the sellout crowd of 18,000 at Wukesong Arena.
China could reach the quarter-finals on home hardwood and improve upon the team's eighth-place Olympic showings in 1996 and 2004, China's best finishes in global competition.
Americans had dominated all nine prior games with China in world and Olympic competition with the most lopsided verdict a 133-70 US win at the 1996 Olympics. China's narrowest defeat was an 84-65 drubbing from the 2002 worlds.
The Americans started James, Bryant, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony and Howard against a Chinese lineup featuring three NBA talents, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian plus former NBA player Wang ZhiZhi.
Had China upset the US NBA stars, it would have been among the great sport shockers of all time. And for a while, it wasn't such a far-fetched notion.
Chinese fans were treated to the trademark high-leaping slam dunks of the fast-paced US squad plus a China team that sparkled early.
Chinese 2.26m giant Yao hit a rare 3-pointer to open the scoring, pumping his fist after the feat, and Sun Yue, who has agreed to an NBA deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, added another to give China a 6-2 edge.
A 3-point play by James gave the US its first lead at 7-6 but Sun hit another 3-pointer and a fast-break basket to put China ahead 11-7. Yao was blocking shots and teammates were making steals to excite the sellout crowd.
Dwyane Wade and James each made spectacular dunks to spark a US run but China stayed close, equalizing at 29-29 on Sun's 3-pointer six minutes before half-time.
That's when the US stars took charge, Bryant nailing back-to-back slam dunks and lobbing a picture-perfect alley-oop pass to James for a slam dunk in a 20-8 run to pull ahead 49-37 at half-time and pull away for good.
The second half saw US speed and depth overwhelm China, which had a brief injury scare for hero Yao. He went down with 2:17 to play in the third quarter and grimaced when he rose before being taken out of the game.
Yao had suffered a broken left foot during the past NBA season that at one time put his Olympic status in doubt, so re-injury fears had some roots. But Yao returned and played well before being pulled to big cheers with 4:45 to go.
Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, LeBron James added 18 and Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard each added 13 for the Americans but China was impressive early, battling the US stars even for the first 14 minutes of the Group B contest.
US Olympic teams went 109-2 and won 12 gold medals through 2000 but were humbled in 2004 when NBA stars lost three times and settled for Athens bronze, sparking the new bid to reclaim the throne by the self-styled "Redeem Team".
China played surprisingly competitive with the Americans through most of the first half, the US pulling away only with a 20-7 run late in the second quarter on the way to a 49-37 half-time lead.
With an up-tempo style of their own, China showed vast progress over past meetings with NBA squads, showing aggressive defense and deadly 3-point shooting at times.
The much-awaited US-China showdown was expected to reach a global television audience approaching one billion people given the heavy interest in China and the worldwide appeal of the US NBA stars.
US President George W. Bush, his wife Laura and his father, former US president George Bush, plus former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were among the famous faces in the sellout crowd of 18,000 at Wukesong Arena.
China could reach the quarter-finals on home hardwood and improve upon the team's eighth-place Olympic showings in 1996 and 2004, China's best finishes in global competition.
Americans had dominated all nine prior games with China in world and Olympic competition with the most lopsided verdict a 133-70 US win at the 1996 Olympics. China's narrowest defeat was an 84-65 drubbing from the 2002 worlds.
The Americans started James, Bryant, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony and Howard against a Chinese lineup featuring three NBA talents, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian plus former NBA player Wang ZhiZhi.
Had China upset the US NBA stars, it would have been among the great sport shockers of all time. And for a while, it wasn't such a far-fetched notion.
Chinese fans were treated to the trademark high-leaping slam dunks of the fast-paced US squad plus a China team that sparkled early.
Chinese 2.26m giant Yao hit a rare 3-pointer to open the scoring, pumping his fist after the feat, and Sun Yue, who has agreed to an NBA deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, added another to give China a 6-2 edge.
A 3-point play by James gave the US its first lead at 7-6 but Sun hit another 3-pointer and a fast-break basket to put China ahead 11-7. Yao was blocking shots and teammates were making steals to excite the sellout crowd.
Dwyane Wade and James each made spectacular dunks to spark a US run but China stayed close, equalizing at 29-29 on Sun's 3-pointer six minutes before half-time.
That's when the US stars took charge, Bryant nailing back-to-back slam dunks and lobbing a picture-perfect alley-oop pass to James for a slam dunk in a 20-8 run to pull ahead 49-37 at half-time and pull away for good.
The second half saw US speed and depth overwhelm China, which had a brief injury scare for hero Yao. He went down with 2:17 to play in the third quarter and grimaced when he rose before being taken out of the game.
Yao had suffered a broken left foot during the past NBA season that at one time put his Olympic status in doubt, so re-injury fears had some roots. But Yao returned and played well before being pulled to big cheers with 4:45 to go.
Olympic Day 2 : Badminton - Goodbye to Pei Tty-Eei Hui
IT finally poured in hazy Beijing today but that was just about the only piece of good news for badminton pair Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui as they crashed out rather tamely from the women's doubles.
Expected to give South Koreans Lee Hyo Jung-Lee Kyung Won a run for their money, the Malaysians instead let the occassion get to them as they crashed 21-14, 21-19 in 37 minutes.
"We put ourselves under pressure as we were too determined to perform well," was Pei Tty's explanation.
The pair now join swimmer Lew Yih Wey as Malaysians who have completed their Beijing Olympics outing.
Expected to give South Koreans Lee Hyo Jung-Lee Kyung Won a run for their money, the Malaysians instead let the occassion get to them as they crashed 21-14, 21-19 in 37 minutes.
"We put ourselves under pressure as we were too determined to perform well," was Pei Tty's explanation.
The pair now join swimmer Lew Yih Wey as Malaysians who have completed their Beijing Olympics outing.
Olympic Day 2 : Archery - Archers set sight on Olympics medal, in confident mood
Tham Choy Lin, BERNAMA
Malaysia’s world-ranked archery trio was back at training after securing a spot in the Olympics quarterfinals as a sense of confidence bubbles in camp after yesterday’s ranking contest.
“Everything is going according to plan. We have avoided the Koreans in the draw. The mood in camp is very good and they are confident,” said team manager Tan Sri Abdul Halil Mutalif.
Cheng Chu Sian, Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman and Wan Khalmizam Abdul Aziz set a new national mark of 1,993 in finishing third best in the ranking contest to earn a first-round bye for tomorrow’s team medal battle.
They shattered their own previous national best of 1,980 set last year. Wan Khalmizam also rewrote his national individual record to a new high of 674, two better than the previous total.
If they make the rostrum, they would enter the annals of Malaysian sports history because until now, only badminton has earned Malaysia glory in the Olympics with one silver and two bronze medals. South Korea, gold medallist at the previous two Olympics, are the fancied favourites.
They topped yesterday’s rankings over 72 arrows with Athens bronze medallist Ukraine in second place, just four points ahead of Malaysia.
The men’s team knockout battle is a day-long affair, culminating in the final in the evening. Losing semifinalists will vie for the bronze.
The number of arrows for the 12-country team competition is only 24, changed from 27 from the last Games in Athens. Each team member takes turns to shoot one arrow at a time.
Russia was the fourth team to secure a quarterfinal berth. Fighting for the remaining four slots in the last eight are Australia against Poland, Great Britain against China, Canada against Italy, and the United States against Taiwan.
The draw pits the Malaysians in the same half as the Ukranians and they will clash in the semifinals if they advance from the last eight.
In the quarterfinals, to begin shortly before noon, Malaysia will meet either Italy or Canada, whom they have not faced before.
“The archers are now used to top-level competition. They are prepared to take on any opponent,” said Abdul Halil.
South Korea are the world’s reigning record holder for the 24-arrow match with a score of 231. Two members of the record-breaking team — Lee Chang Hwan and Im Dong Hyun — are here.
The Olympics competition uses only the classic bow, otherwise known as the recurve bow with the limbs of the bow curved away from the archer.
Malaysia’s world-ranked archery trio was back at training after securing a spot in the Olympics quarterfinals as a sense of confidence bubbles in camp after yesterday’s ranking contest.
“Everything is going according to plan. We have avoided the Koreans in the draw. The mood in camp is very good and they are confident,” said team manager Tan Sri Abdul Halil Mutalif.
Cheng Chu Sian, Muhd Marbawi Sulaiman and Wan Khalmizam Abdul Aziz set a new national mark of 1,993 in finishing third best in the ranking contest to earn a first-round bye for tomorrow’s team medal battle.
They shattered their own previous national best of 1,980 set last year. Wan Khalmizam also rewrote his national individual record to a new high of 674, two better than the previous total.
If they make the rostrum, they would enter the annals of Malaysian sports history because until now, only badminton has earned Malaysia glory in the Olympics with one silver and two bronze medals. South Korea, gold medallist at the previous two Olympics, are the fancied favourites.
They topped yesterday’s rankings over 72 arrows with Athens bronze medallist Ukraine in second place, just four points ahead of Malaysia.
The men’s team knockout battle is a day-long affair, culminating in the final in the evening. Losing semifinalists will vie for the bronze.
The number of arrows for the 12-country team competition is only 24, changed from 27 from the last Games in Athens. Each team member takes turns to shoot one arrow at a time.
Russia was the fourth team to secure a quarterfinal berth. Fighting for the remaining four slots in the last eight are Australia against Poland, Great Britain against China, Canada against Italy, and the United States against Taiwan.
The draw pits the Malaysians in the same half as the Ukranians and they will clash in the semifinals if they advance from the last eight.
In the quarterfinals, to begin shortly before noon, Malaysia will meet either Italy or Canada, whom they have not faced before.
“The archers are now used to top-level competition. They are prepared to take on any opponent,” said Abdul Halil.
South Korea are the world’s reigning record holder for the 24-arrow match with a score of 231. Two members of the record-breaking team — Lee Chang Hwan and Im Dong Hyun — are here.
The Olympics competition uses only the classic bow, otherwise known as the recurve bow with the limbs of the bow curved away from the archer.
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