Latest news with #ChuanLeong
New Straits Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia's Asian dream snookered by India
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia came within touching distance of creating history at the Asian Team Snooker Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka only to settle for silver after a 3-1 defeat to India in the final on Saturday. The duo of Thor Chuan Leong and Lim Kok Leong fought bravely but were eventually outgunned by the Indian trio of Aditya Mehta, Brijesh Damani and Pankaj Advani, with frame scores of 58-68, 66-25, 75-33, 58-1 in the best-of-five tie. It would have been Malaysia's first-ever title in the prestigious team event. Still, the result marks a commendable end to a strong campaign for the national team, especially after Chuan Leong had created history earlier in the week by winning the Asian Six-Red Championship — becoming the first Malaysian to do so. To reach the final, Malaysia edged past Hong Kong 3-2 in a tense come-from-behind quarter-final on Friday, before producing a composed 3-1 victory over Pakistan in Saturday's semi-finals. While the partnership between Chuan Leong and Kok Leong lacked the fluid chemistry seen in more established pairings, their strong individual skills carried Malaysia all the way to the title decider. "It is a great result, considering that they paired up for the first time in a team event," said Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia. "Kok Leong used to partner with Keen Hoo, and with Chuan Leong, there's still a lack of chemistry between them. But this is also good news for us because India — who beat us — are not our Southeat Asian competitors. They had seasoned players like multiple world champion Pankaj Advani. Melvin believes the pairing has strong potential, with only minor adjustments needed heading into the Sea Games in Thailand later this year. "We don't have much to polish up — both are skilfully strong. The main area is pairing coordination. Both are sharp shooters, but Lim is weaker in safety play. That's what we need to work on in his preparation."
The Star
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Snooker heartbreak as Thor and Lim's brave run ends in final defeat to India
File pix of Thor Chuan Leong (left) and Lim Kok Leong with their medals for the men's snooker singles at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. — GLENN GUAN/The Star PETALING JAYA: Rory Thor Chuan Leong and Lim Kok Leong's gallant bid to bring home the first Asian 6-Red Snooker Team Championship title for Malaysia ended with a 1-3 defeat at the hands of India tonight (June 28). Newly crowned 6-Red Asian individual champion Chuan Leong made a good start when he overcame Brijesh Damani 68-58 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, India levelled the tie after Pankaj Arjan Advani won the next singles match against Kok Leong 66-25. India were in front after Advani-Damani combined to overcome Chuan Leong-Kok Leong 75-33 in the doubles match. Advani put up a clinical performance in the reverse singles match to seal victory for India, beating Chuan Leong 58-1. The Malaysian Snooker and Billiards Federation (MSBF) president Melvin Chia applauded the duo for fighting hard to raise the flag for Malaysia on the international stage again. "There was not much expected from both of them as this was their very first tournament since they represented Malaysia at the Cambodia SEA Games two years ago. "It was a very satisfactory achievement to bring back one gold and one silver. "Our next goal after this is to get ready for the Thailand SEA Games in December," he said. The Malaysian duo can certainly hold their heads high as they had performed well throughout the tournament to enter the final for the first time. Chuan Leong-Kok Leong were impressive earlier as they beat favourites Pakistan A 3-1 to set up a final clash against India, who carved out a 3-2 win over Hong Kong A in the other semi-final match earlier in the day. Malaysia had fought hard to beat Hong Kong B 3-2 to reach the semis and assure a medal.
The Star
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rory brings back Asian Championships snooker title
PETALING JAYA: Rory Thor Chuan Leong has etched his name into the history books after claiming his maiden Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship title at the Moors Sports Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the final on Wednesday evening, the Malaysian cueist put up a clinical performance to overpower India's Paris Gupta 6-2 (50-5, 44-2, 8-62, 42-12, 47-40, 1-51, 36-24, 48-2). Chuan Leong's triumph surpassed the previous Malaysian best of a runner-up finish achieved by Moh Keen Ho in 2016. The Penang-born cueist was in sublime form throughout the knockout rounds, brushing aside Singapore's Jaden Ong (5-1), Hong Kong's Man Ming Wa (5-0), and three-time world champion Mohd Asif of Pakistan (5-2) en route to the final. Asif had earlier beaten another Malaysian player Lim Kok Leong 5-3 in the quarter-finals. His success in Colombo comes as a welcome boost after a challenging year, having recently lost his place on the World Snooker Tour following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season. Chuan Leong, who earned a two-year tour card through the Asia-Oceania Q-School in 2023, was unable to reclaim it in either of the two qualifying legs in Bangkok last month. The Asian 6-Red crown marks a timely resurgence for Chuan Leong, who had only previously made the quarter-finals of the same tournament in 2023.
New Straits Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Chuan Leong makes history with Asian Six-Red snooker crown
KUALA LUMPUR: National snooker ace Thor Chuan Leong delivered a career-defining performance to win the Asian Six-Red Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wednesday, becoming the first Malaysian to clinch the prestigious title. The 37-year-old capped a dominant campaign by overpowering India's Paras Gupta 6-2 (50-5, 44-2, 8-62, 42-12, 47-40, 1-51, 36-24, 48-2) in the final of the best-of-eleven contest. Chuan Leong's triumph surpasses the previous national best of a runner-up finish achieved by Moh Keen Ho in 2016 and adds to his continental honours following his 2014 Asian Snooker Championship win. "It's really touching, and I'm super happy. It's been a long time since I last won a tournament - I honestly forgot what it felt like to win," said Chuan Leong. "This time, I managed to hold myself together and truly believed I could do it. That's what made this title so special for me." The Penang-born cueist was in sublime form throughout the knockout rounds, brushing aside Singapore's Jaden Ong (5-1), Hong Kong's Man Ming Wa (5-0) and 2013 champion Mohammed Asif of Pakistan (5-2) en route to the final. His success in Colombo comes as a welcome boost after a challenging year, having recently lost his place on the World Snooker Tour following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Chuan Leong, who earned a two-year tour card through the Asia-Oceania Q-School in 2023, was unable to reclaim it in either of the two qualifying legs in Bangkok last month. The Asian Six-Red crown marks a timely resurgence for Chuan Leong, who had only previously made the quarter-finals of the same tournament in 2023. Chuan Leong hopes the victory will serve as a springboard for the rest of the year, including the six-red discipline at the Sea Games, which he last won in 2013. "This win gives me a lot of confidence, not just for the Sea Games, but for any upcoming tournament," he said. Meanwhile, compatriot Lim Kok Leong also put up a commendable display, reaching the quarter-finals before falling 5-3 to Asif. Kok Leong was a semi-finalist in 2022. Chuan Leong and Kok Leong will now shift their focus to the Asian Team Championship, which gets underway on Thursday at the same venue. "This win lifts me up, and Kok Leong is also a very strong player. We support each other well, so I believe we can do something together as a team," said Chuan Leong. As for his future, Chuan Leong is keeping an open mind. "I'm not sure about Q-School yet. Maybe I'll try out Chinese eight-ball or even nine-ball and just see how things go from here."
