Saturday, October 4, 2008

NATIONAL SPORT AWARDS

According to Malaysia's The Star Online - Apr 10 4:46 PM:By LIM TEIK HUATKUALA LUMPUR: The selection panel for the National Sports Awards have deemed bodybuilder Sazali Samad as the better choice over the badminton pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong for the 2006 Sportsman of the Year award.World champion and world number one squash player Nicol David claimed the Sportswoman of the Year award for the fourth time.Among the 11 nominees for the men?s award, Kien Keat-Boon Heong were arguably good bets to win it.They beat higher-ranked world-class opponents, including world No 1 Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun of China, to win the Asian Games gold medal in Doha last December. It was the first gold medal for Malaysia in 36 years in Asiad badminton.However, Sazali rode on his achievement in winning the world title for the third time to take the award.He won the bantamweight (65kg) competition in the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships in the Czech Republic last October. But in the Asian Games two months later, Sazali only took silver amidst claims of unfair judging.Sazali also bagged the award in 2000, the year in which he won the world title for the first time.He was a nominee for the 2004 award after claiming his second world title but track cyclist Josiah Ng, who reached the Athens Olympic final in keirin, was named the winner.?I had some hope that I could win it because I was the only one among the nominees to win a world title,? said the 40-year-old policeman from Batu Pahat. ?It?s still a pleasant surprise for me to win it. I felt that the badminton doubles pairs were strong candidates.?Winning the award for the second time also made up for the disappointment of not winning the Asian Games gold. I have to thank the National Sports Council (NSC), my employers and my family for all the support that they had given to me.?In the women?s category, among those Nicol came up against was bowler Esther Cheah, who won three gold and two silver medals in the Doha Asiad.Nicol has the distinction of having retained the world and prestigious British Open titles. She also took gold in the Asian Championships and Asiad and emerged victorious in eight international events.The 23-year-old also played a pivotal role in helping Malaysia to finish third in the World Team Championships in Canada last year, the best achievement by the women?s squash team.Sazali and Nicol each received RM10,000 and a trophy.Nicol was not present to receive the award because she is competing in the Kuwait Open. Her father, Desmond, took it on her behalf from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the presentation ceremony at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara here last night

3 comments:

akbarz said...

Missing out on a chance to bag a medal in the last Asian Games in Busan four years ago has only made bodybuilder Sazali Samad more determined to achieve glory in Doha next month.

Sazali and Liaw Teck Leong have been named to carry the nation's hopes for medals in bodybuilding for the Asian Games, which will be held in Doha from Dec 1-15.

The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) approved two bodybuilders to go under category A earlier.

Teck Leong was the silver medallist in the 85kg weight category in Busan four years ago.

Sazali, who will compete in the 65kg weight category, did not compete in Busan because he had to serve out a six-month suspension by the Asian Bodybuilding Federation for appearing in a dietary supplement advertisement.

akbarz said...

Sazali, a police sergeant, expects a tough challenge in the 70kg category from bodybuilders from Slovakia, Italy, Poland and the West Asian countries.

The Malaysian muscleman had to be contented with the silver at the Asian Games in Doha in December after losing to Salem Abdulla Zahmi of the United Arab Emirates.

He then won the gold medal in the 70kg category at the World Police and Fire Games in Adelaide in March.

akbarz said...

I hope SAZALI SAMAD will not involve in any misuse the forbidden subtitutes.

BAHRAIN bodybuilders returned home to a hero’s welcome after winning two gold medals at the recently-concluded Asian Bodybuilding Championship held in…
BAHRAIN bodybuilders returned home to a hero’s welcome after winning two gold medals at the recently-concluded Asian Bodybuilding Championship held in Shanghai. The gold medals were won by Mohammed Mirza and Kameel Hassan in the masters and junior categories, respectively.The Bahraini delegation were received on arrival by Bahrain Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Association president Mohammed Abdulrahim, director of General Organization for Youth and Sports’ president office Waheed Al Doy and other officials.

The results added to the many achievements which were accomplished by top Bahraini bodybuilders in the past years such as Sami Al Haddad, Mohammed Subah, Nooh Hassan and Tareq Al Farasani.

Interestingly, Al Farasani was the coach of the two-member team in this prestigious competition.

Mirza, winning his first ever gold medal, was among the top 12 bodybuilders from Thailand South Korea, Kazakhstan and India.

Mirza, aged 44, said he started preparations for this event three months ago at Ghassan’s Gym in Barbar along with Kameel.

Mirza added that the Asian Championship was a useful experience for him before taking part in the World Championship which gets underway on October 28 in South Korea.

Hassan, on the other hand, was impressive at the championship, finishing on top in his first appearance at an Asian event.

Both Mirza and Hassan will be among nine Bahraini bodybuilders competing in the world event.

The team, to be coached by Al Farasani who will also take part as a bodybuilder, include Subah, Fadhel Hussain, Nooh Hassan, Abbas Makki, Faisal Abdulla and Bader Sultan.