Fauja Singh, 100, finishes marathon

TORONTO -- A 100-year-old runner became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon when he finished the race in Toronto on Sunday.
Fauja Singh earned a spot in the Guiness World Book of Records for his accomplishment.
It took Singh more than eight hours to cross the finish line -- more than six hours after Kenya's Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year -- and he was the last competitor to complete the course.
But his time wasn't nearly as remarkable as the accomplishment.
Event workers dismantled the barricades along the finish line and took down sponsor banners even as Singh made his way up the final few hundred yards of the race.
Family, friends and supporters greeted Singh when he finished the race.
"Beating his original prediction, he's overjoyed," his coach and translator Harmander Singh said. "Earlier, just before we came around the (final) corner, he said, 'Achieving this will be like getting married again.'
"He's absolutely overjoyed, he's achieved his lifelong wish."
Sunday's run was Singh's eighth marathon -- he ran his first at age 89 -- and wasn't the first time he set a record.
In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in 5 hours, 40 minutes and 1 second.
And on Thursday in Toronto, Singh broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 meters to 5,000 meters.
The 5-foot-8 Singh said he's hopeful his next project will be participating in the torch relay for the 2012 London Games. He carried the torch during the relay for the 2004 Athens Games.
by The Associated Press

You Maybank on Wallace

MAYBANK started slowly in the League, but have progressed into a ‘difficult’ side in the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League.
The Tigers will be playing favourites Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) in the first leg of the semi-finals tomorrow, and taking them for granted would be a big mistake.
The other semi-finals is between Sapura and Tenaga Nasional, with the former playing without their suspended skipper S. Kuhan in the first leg.
Maybank, who rely on counter attacks for goals, played to a narrow 2-3 defeat to the Charity Shield and League holders in the League match.
“We know that it would be disastrous to take Maybank lightly, as they gave us quite a scare in the League and are capable of unleashing counter-attacks when least expected.
“That is their strength, and we need to be extra careful not to give their speedy strikers space to do the damage,” was KLHC coach R. Vivekanandan’s frank view.
KLHC skipper Azlan Misron has his own personal reason to beat Maybank in both legs and play in the final.
He just completed his ‘akad-nikah’ on Sunday, and his ’bersanding’ ceremony will be held one day before the TNB Cup final.
“I hope to rally my men to beat Maybank and play in the final, as a personal wedding gift. It would be a wonderful moment for my me if I achieve my target,” said the national player.
Maybank coach Wallace Tan admitted his charges will be going in as the underdogs against a team which has nine national players.
“KLHC is simply too strong and it would be a difficult match, but having said that, we will not give up until the final whistle of both legs.
“We have been relying on counter-attacks in previous matches, but we need more than that if we want to upset an unbeaten KLHC,” said Wallace.
KLHC are the only unbeaten side this season, and if any team has the capabilities to change that, it would have to be Maybank.
As for Kuhan, who received a red card when playing against Nur Insafi in the first leg of the quarter-finals where his team lost 2-1, he has been suspended for two matches.
He did not play in the return leg against Nur Insafi, but still, Sapura pulled off a 2-0 win and advanced into the semis.
The former national skipper will sit our the first semis against Tenaga, and will be back for the second leg.
WEDNESDAY: Semi-finals (first leg): Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club v Maybank (National Stadium, Pitch II 6pm); Sapura v Tenaga Nasional (National Stadium, Pitch II 8pm).
FRIDAY: Semi-finals (second leg): Tenaga Nasional v Sapura (National Stadium, Pitch II 6pm); Maybank v Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (National Stadium, Pitch II 8pm).

Sapura need to buck up, quick

By Ajitpal Singh

LAST year's finalists Sapura have hit a bad patch, and this coming at the wrong time in the TNB Cup.
Sapura made life difficult for themselves with mediocre performances against Nur Insafi in both the quarter-final legs but they still had enough firepower to edge the Penang side 3-2 on aggregate.
Coach I. Vikneswaran must now work on improving his team ahead of the first leg semi-final against Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) on Wednesday.
"Our performances in both legs of the quarter-finals were collectively our worst performance in the league. We did not produce our true ability. It has come at the wrong time... we need to find solutions," said Vikneswaran.
"The league is tough and some of my players, especially the older ones who have minor injuries, are finding it tough to recover after each match."
Among Sapura's injured players are national player Azreen Rizal Nasir, who has missed six matches due to a hamstring tear and Craig Joseph Fernandez.
Sapura were also without former international S. Kuhan in their 2-0 second leg win over Nur Insafi as he was suspended for a red card in the first leg.
Vikneswaran hopes Kuhan will not be penalised further as he needs the penalty corner specialist for Wednesday's semi-final first leg match.
"Kuhan has served a mandatory one-match suspension but he could be suspended for a few more matches."
MHF technical committee chairman Hashim Mohd Yusoff said his committee will decide on Kuhan's fate today.
On the semi-finals, Vikneswaran said TNB hold a slight edge over his team.
"We lost 2-0 to them in the league but of course it is a different ball-game in the semi-finals, but from our performance in the quarters, TNB hold advantage.
"My mission is to get my players play good hockey once again. I am confident they will get their act together in the semi-finals," he added.
The other semi-final pits defending champions Kuala Lumpur HC against former champions Maybank.