Koo-Tan and Nicol set for awards

Saturday May 10, 2008- The Star Online

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/5/10/sports/21212717&sec=sports
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PETALING JAYA: Badminton and squash players are set to win top honours at the National Sports Awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

A total of nine awards will be given out in recognition of last year’s achievements.
Men’s doubles shuttlers Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong are the frontrunners, ahead of 12 other candidates for the 2007 Sportsman award.

As for the Sportswoman award, the strong contenders are squash queen Nicol David and national singles badminton player Wong Mew Choo.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong were strongly tipped to win the award in 2006 after winning the first Asian Games badminton gold medal for Malaysia in 36 years. But body-builder Sazali Samad pipped them to the award for winning the world title for the third time.

The other candidates for the Sportsman award are Sazali (body-building), Mohd Rizal Tisin (cycling), Sazali Samad (bodybuilding), Koh Way Tek (basketball), Zulmazran Zulkifli (bowling), Mohd Qabil Ambak Mahamad Fathil (equestrian), Chua Boon Huat (hockey), Lim Yoke Wai (karate), Safuan Said (lawn bowls), Cheng Chu Sian (archery), Lee Hup Wei (athletics), Daniel Bego (swimming) and Mohd Azlan Iskandar (squash).

The others in the running for the Sportswoman award are Chow Siao Foong (basketball), Shalin Zulkifli (bowling), Quzandria Nur Mahamad Fathil (equestrian), Lim Wen Chen (gimrama), Yamini Gopalasamy (karate), Siti Zalina Ahmad (lawn bowls), Roslinda Samsu (athletics), Ng Sock Khim (table tennis), Khoo Cai Lin (aquatics), Che Chew Chan (taekwondo) and Chai Fong Ying (wushu).

The archery, squash and 4x400m relay teams are the front-runners for the men’s team award while the Korat SEA Games gold medal-winning basketball team and the bowling, table tennis and squash teams are vying for the award in the women’s category.

The candidates for the best male coach award are Suod Hussain (cycling), Tan See Wah (basketball), Sarjit Singh (hockey), Azmi Md Yunus (boxing), P. Arivalagan (karate) and R. Dhanaraj (taekwondo).

Yoong Sze Yuin (basketball) and Rosmimi Jamalani (hockey) are the candidates for the best female coach award.