Atlet Malaysia in the NEWS: February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

GYMNASTICS: Olivia wins first medal

By ARNAZ M. KHAIRUL | arnaz@nst.com.my

OLIVIA Tai delivered some cheer to the host contingent when she bagged Malaysia's first medal in the individual all around final at the 13th Asian Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The Malaysian had entered the final round, ranked second and only missed out on the silver medal eventually by just 0.2 points.

Finishing second was Uzbekistan's Anora Davlyatova who scored a total of 55.850 points in the four disciplines to Olivia's mark of 55.650. The Malaysian had to settle for the bronze.

Kazakhstan's Yelizaveta Mainovskaya was simply too good as she romped to the gold medal with a total score of 56.250 points.

Despite ranking second after the first two apparatus, the hoop and ball, Olivia faltered slightly in the ball and ribbon, but she hung on to maintain her spot on the podium.

Malaysia team manager Dr Farah Hani Imran said the national squad had thus achieved their target of a medal in the individual apparatus.

Farah Hani also expressed satisfaction that Malaysia were ranked in the top six in the group apparatus finals in the Asian event.

"Our goal was to get medals in the individual apparatus and to rank in the top six in the group finals, so we have achieved that.

"Our gymnasts have performed their best routines almost perfectly," she said.

(From left) Uzbekistan’s silver medallist Anora Davlyatova, Kazakhstan’s gold winner Yelizaveta Mainovskaya and Olivia Tai after the prize presentation yesterday.

This is your time to shine, Malaysian gymnasts told

BY ASHREENA PILLAI

Malaysian gymnast Chan Mei Thung leads her team-mates in training, a day before the 13th Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships begins. Overlooking their progress is coach Eriko Akebayashi. – ART CHEN / The Star

That’s the one thing that team manager and ex-national gymnast Dr Farrah-Hani Imran’s wants the Malaysian contingent to remember when they compete at the 13th Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships which begin Friday at Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil.

With two tickets to the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing (Aug 16-28) up for grabs, the onus is now on Olivia Tai Qing Tong, Shasangari Sivaneswary, Koh Sei Yan and Shak Yuki (individual category) and Thew Yue Jia, Chan Mei Thung, Adelina Theresa Mathews, Chai Xin Nong, Yap Sin Lu and Loh Xiao Tian (group category) to make all the blood, sweat and tears shed during their months of preparation count.

“Anything can happen on the carpet on competition day and there are a lot of things that come into play. So it’s not just about ability or skills, but also how you deal with the pressure and expectations. This is their chance to shine, to prove themselves and show the world what they’re capable of,” said Dr Farrah-Hani during the team’s final training on Thursday.

“If you ask me, honestly I think all the girls in the individual category have an equal chance to qualify (for the YOG). What will be the difference is how they perform on the day of the competition. And it’s the same for the group. If they can rise above – put aside their fear and rise to the occasion, they can do it,” she added.

Friday’s competition begins with the hoop event for the group exercise competition followed by the hoop and ball event for the individual competition. And as far as targets are concerned, Dr Farrah-Hani said what matters is first getting into the finals.

“I’m very optimistic of our chances. Training has been going well. Everthing seems to be in place. The best advice I can offer all of them is to just stay focused and be in the zone. Block out all the external stuff ... when it comes to the competition, all that matters is you and the apparatus,” she said.

“Our goal is for the girls to get to the finals. If we’re there, we’ve already got one foot through the door.”

Competition schedule

Group exercise: Hoop (12.15-1pm)

Individual: Hoop and Ball - Group A (2-3.15pm) and Group B (3.30-4.45pm)

Sassy Olivia sashays her way to bronze

Malaysian Olivai Tai Qing Tong clinched bronze in the all-around individual event at the 13th Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships on Sunday. - BRIAN MOH/ The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Olivai Tai Qing Tong’s sassy display at the 13th Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships was enough to see her clinch bronze in the all-around individual event.

The fifteen-year-old Olivia came out to a cascade of roaring cheers from the gallery at Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil on Sunday. She returned the favour with a confident performance, scoring 13.75 points (ball), 13.90 (clubs) and 14.05 (hoop) and looked good to land the silver.

However, a mistake in the opening of her ribbon routine proved costly as she could only manage 13.95 for a total of 55.65 points to take the bronze.

Her score was just 0.20 short of silver medallist Anora Davlyatova of Uzbekistan who scored 14.30 (ball), 14.20, (clubs), 13.95 (hoop), 13.40 (ribbon) for a 55.85 total.

The gold went to Kazakhstan’s Yelizaveta Mainovskaya who scored 14.15 (ball), 13.70 (clubs), 14.30 (hoop), 14.10 (ribbon) for a total of 56.25 points.

Shasangari Sivaneswary, the other Malaysian representative, finished ninth with a 53.15 total.

“I’m very happy to deliver the bronze for Malaysia. I hope this is only the beginning,” said Olivia.

Olivia will have a chance to better her medal haul. She has qualified for three individual apparatus finals – the clubs, hoop and ribbon – on Monday. Shasangari will only be competing in the hoop final.

The Malaysian group exercise team of Thew Yue Jia, Chan Mei Thung, Adelina Theresa Mathews, Chai Xin Nong and Yap Sin Lu will also feature in both the ball and clubs finals.

Also in the eight-team final are powerhouses Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Japan.

“We’ve achieved our target of qualifying for the final in five out of six events. Our goal tomorrow (today) is to earn medals in the individual apparatus finals and finish in the top six of the group exercise final,” said team manager Dr Farrah-Hani Imran.

“I think if our gymnasts perform to their routines perfectly, we will definitely be on track to achieve our goal. Today, Olivia was in silver medal position after the first three apparatus. So we’re confident we can achieve the target,” she added.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Sail The Gulf

Friday, February 7, 2014

Majlis Penyampaian Geran Tahunan Kepada PASTA

Terima kasih/ Thank You

Jefri Ngadirin
Majlis Sukan Negara/
National Sport Council