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| National shuttler Lee Chong Wei and diving queen Pandelela Rinong posing with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah after they were named 2012 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the National Sports Award ceremony Tuesday night. The duo also won the award last year. |
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Lee Chong Wei and diver Pandelela Rinong have set their sights on becoming world champions after coming up tops again in the 2012 National Sports Awards ceremony last night.
Chong Wei bagged his fourth National Sportsman Award and RM20,000 thanks largely to his feat of reaching the men’s singles final at the London Olympic last year.
Chong Wei may have lost narrowly to Lin Dan but still returned home with a silver, ensuring that he is the country’s only double Olympic medallist.
Chong Wei, who also won the national sports award in 2005 and 2008, captured five international titles last year.
And now, after getting a fourth national crown, the shuttler hopes it will spur him to become the first Malaysian to win at the world meet in Guangzhou come August.
“This will be my last chance to win the world title. No Malaysian has managed it and I will give it my best shot,” said Chong Wei, who became a father for the first time last week.
In the women’s category, squash queen Nicol David – who captured a record seventh world title last year – failed to dethrone Pandelela from reigning supreme again.
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| Proud moment: Hasihin Sanawi (left) receiving the award for best male paralympian by the president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar during the National Sports Award ceremony yesterday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star |
Like Chong Wei, the dimunitive Sarawakian captured the nation’s heart at the London Olympics in the early hours of Aug 10 with her historic plunge in the women’s 10m platform final.
She made an impressive comeback with her last two dives to secure the bronze medal – making her the country’s first female Olympic medallist – and the youngest.
Pandelela, who turned 20 last month, also finished overall runner-up in the prestigious FINA Diving World Series last year behind world and Olympic champion Chen Ruolin of China.
Pandelela was delighted to have won a second straight National Sportswoman Award and a cheque for RM20,000.
She said she had “a gut feeling” that she would win again after being asked by the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) to delay flying to Edinburgh for the third leg of the FINA Diving World Series by a day.
“My team-mates left the previous night but I was asked to stay back. But at least I don’t have to travel a few thousand kilometres like last year,” she said in jest, referring to last year when she had to fly back immediately from Russia after the FINA Diving World Series to receive the award – and then heading out to Mexico the next day.
“It’s a timely boost ahead of Edinburgh, for sure,” added Pandelela, who is hoping to become the first Malaysian to win an individual medal at the world meet in Barcelona in July.
“I see this as a lucky sign. When I got the award last year, I won an Olympic bronze medal ... so, hopefully, it’ll be another good year for me at the world meet.”
Pandelela already has a bronze medal from her partnership with Leong Mun Yee in 10m platform synchro at the 2009 world meet in Rome.
The men’s junior hockey team took the best male team award and RM20,000 for winning their maiden Junior Asia Cup in Malacca in May after beating three-time champions Pakistan 2-1 in the final.
There was some consolation for Nicol though when she, Delia Arnold, Low Wee Wern and Siti Munirah Jusoh clinched the best female team award and RM20,000 for winning the bronze medal at the Women’s World Team Championships in Nimes, France, last November.
Meanwhile, archer Hasihin Sanawi took home the male paralympian award and a cheque for RM10,000 for his silver medal feat in individual recurve at the London Paralympic Games.
2012 National Sports Awards Roll of Honour
Sportman: Lee Chong Wei (badminton)Sportswoman: Pandelela Rinong (diving)
Best male national team: Junior hockey team (Amir Farid Ahmad Fuzi, Dedy Ariyadi Jumaidi, Faiz Helmi Jali, Faizal Shaari, Kavin Kartik Govindasamy, Mohd Azri Hassan, Mohd Syamim Mohd Yusof, Mohd izat Hakimi Jamaluddin, Mohd Fitri Saari, Mohd Hazrul Faiz, Muhd Ramadhan Rosli, Muhd Aslam Mohd Hanafiah, Muhd Firhan Ashari, Muhd Noor Faeez Ibrahim, Norhizzat Sumantri, Shahrul Azaddin, Shazril Irwan Nazli, Shazrul Imran Nazli)
Best female national team: Squash (Nicol David, Low Wee Wern, Delia Arnold, Siti Munirah Jusoh.
Male paralympian: Hasihin Sanawi (archery)
Female paralympian: None
Male national coach: Rashid Sidek (badminton)
Female national coach: None
Sports leadership: Datuk Seri Paul Mony Samuel (football) and Datuk Abu Samah Wahab (cycling)
Sports figure: Tan Sri Datuk Elyas Omar
Special award: Ng Chow Seng (weightlifting) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (motorsports)
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