Mirabel's bold swing
Golfer pulls off surprise with brave decision to turn pro in bid to chase greatness
PETALING JAYA: The world could well be her oyster as youngster Mirabel Ting takes a bold first step toward her ultimate goal of becoming the first Malaysian to win on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters.
RM12.33/month
RM8.63/month
Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters.
Free Trial
For new subscribers only
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Pogacar 'respects' Vingegaard in Tour de France rivalry
LILLE: Defending champion Tadej Pogacar insisted he had every respect for his great Tour de France rival Jonas Vingegaard ahead of tomorrow's opening stage in Lille. The 26-year-old Slovenian won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world title in 2024 and is hot favourite again here. Speaking at the Lille Opera House on Thursday the Team UAE rider laughed off suggestions of bitterness, when asked about harsh words between the two in previous races. "Look in the heat of the moment you can maybe scream something at someone," said Pogacar, dressed in his world champion rainbow shirt. Pogacar won the Tour in 2020 and again in 2021, when Vingegaard was second. The Dane won in 2022 and 2023, with the Slovenian runner up both times. Pogacar, who rides for Team UAE, recaptured the title last year with Vingegaard, of the powerful Visma squad, second. ADVERTISING "The last five years have been intense between me and Jonas," Pogacar said. "It's a great competition and rivalry and it will be interesting to see if the title changes hands again." "I'm looking forwards to taking on Jonas again. It's going to be great for people on television and along the roadsides." Pogacar suggested he might need to get ahead of Vingegaard early before the Tour hits the high mountains. "Where Jonas might be stronger than me we will have to see, But he's the best climber in the world and there are many hard finishes and lots of tricky ones. "So my goal should be to make time in the first week and not screw it up," he said. "Don't read too much into any of the rivalry though. Visma and UAE respect each-other and you just have to congratulate the other when they win," said Pogacar. Pogacar also said a new face should not be counted out. In 2024, Belgium's Remco Evenepoel played third man. The double Olympic champion said Thursday he was out to do better this year. Evenepoel believes he can make a difference on the first-week time trial. "It's completely flat which means neither Jonas nor Tadej can produce their amazing power that they do on the climbs," said the 25-year-old, who is also time-trial world champion. "It suits me better. I'll try to win big that day. I'll push as hard as I can," he said. The Belgian Soudal Quick-Step man said he wanted to finish his career having won all three Grand Tours. "That needs mountain work. It's months, years of preparation. And I'll keep working on this long term, he insisted. Evenepoel also said time-trial should be accorded more respect. "My question to the organisers is, why not give bonus seconds on time-trials like they do in the mountains. When I lose time on a mountain and then they say ah there's ten seconds more, that bugs me." He finished his interview with a passionate rallying cry "I'm here to compete, to make it harder for them. Last year I was third. I'm going to give my maximum and we'll see in a couple of weeks." The 112th edition of the Tour sets off Saturday with the opening stages near the Belgian border and the English Channel. The first 10 days of the 21-day run round France are set up to keep the tension boiling as long as possible before Pogacar and Vingegaard potentially slug it out for the victory in the Alps in the third week. - AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Cycling-Vingegaard says he is stronger than ever ahead of Tour de France
Cycling - Tour de France - Previews - Lesquin, France - July 4, 2025 Team Visma - Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard during a press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier LILLE, France (Reuters) -Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard declared himself stronger than ever on Friday, as he prepares to challenge reigning champion Tadej Pogacar for the Tour de France title when the 112th edition begins in Lille on Saturday. The two-time Tour champion, who claimed victory in 2022 and 2023, is aiming to reclaim the crown from Slovenia's Pogacar. "I think for sure I can say that I'm stronger than ever," Vingegaard told a press conference on Friday. "Last year, I was also on a very high level in the Tour de France, but it was in a different way. "I'm heavier now than I was last year, but it's muscle and we know that it gives a lot more power as well. So, I can say that I'm on the highest level that I've ever been." The 28-year-old rider finished second in last year's edition, with more than six minutes behind Pogacar, but his preparation for this edition was hampered by serious injuries a few months ago. "There's a really big difference compared to last year. Last year I came back from the terrible crash, and to be honest, it took me way longer than I actually thought to really come back", Vingegaard said. "It has taken me almost a year actually to get back to the same as it was prior to my crash." The rivalry between Vingegaard and Pogacar, who both claimed the last five editions of the Tour, is set to resume after the Slovenian secured victory over the Dane at last month's Criterium du Dauphine, finishing 59 seconds ahead. "Having a rival that's so good as Tadej brings out the best in yourself. And you know you have to train hard every day to try to compete with him", Vingegaard said. "It makes me even better. I have a lot of admiration for Tadej. He's a very nice guy and a very good bike rider. I really only have good words about him." Vingegaard will be backed by a strong Visma-Lease a Bike team featuring Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates, 2023 Vuelta a Espana champion Sepp Kuss, two-time Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson and the versatile Wout van Aert. "It's a dream team in the climbs. I think we have the strongest team as well," Vingegaard said. (Reporting by Vincent DaheronEditing by Christian Radnedge)
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
AFC says no probe into Malaysia's naturalised players
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has shut down speculation of any investigation into Malaysia over the alleged use of ineligible naturalised players during the Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, firmly stating that no complaints have been received. AFC general-secretary Datuk Seri Windsor Paul, in a brief but clear statement, said the regional body had not been alerted to any concerns following Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in Bukit Jalil — a match that featured five debutants with newly acquired Malaysian citizenship. "There has been no information submitted to the AFC on this matter," said Windsor. "Player status matters are under the purview of FIFA." His comments come amid mounting noise from Vietnam and Indonesia, where some media outlets have reported that Malaysia could face sanctions if the eligibility of the players is found to have been compromised. One Indonesian outlet claimed that Malaysia could be hit with a US$2 million (RM9.4 million) fine, future bans on naturalisation, or even the nullification of the Vietnam result, if documentation for the players is proven to be falsified. However, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) has firmly denied any wrongdoing. FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman stressed that the governing body had fully complied with all international regulations. "As of today, we have not received any letters from FIFA or the AFC (regarding this matter)," said Azman. "We followed all the regulations. We deny all those statements." The five players in question — Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Hidalgo and Jon Irazabal — all made their international debuts in the match against Vietnam. Their performance played a key role in securing Malaysia's emphatic victory, but also drew scrutiny from regional rivals, particularly over their eligibility status. Despite the speculation, FAM insists all five players met the necessary criteria to represent Malaysia in official competition. Harimau Malaya currently sit top of Group F with six points, having also beaten Nepal 2-0 in their opening fixture. Under new head coach Peter Cklamovski, Malaysia are eyeing a strong finish to the campaign, with a crucial home-and-away double-header against Laos coming up in October.
