Daniel Bego Olimpian negara 2009


DANIEL (tengah) bersama barisan pemain badminton wanita negara menunjukkan pingat serta replika cek yang diraih selepas diumumkan selaku penerima anugerah Olimpian Lelaki dan Wanita 2009 di Kuala Lumpur malam tadi.


PERENANG sensasi, Daniel Bego dan skuad badminton wanita negara diumumkan sebagai penerima anugerah Olimpian Lelaki dan Wanita 2009 di Wisma Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM), Kuala Lumpur malam tadi.

Daniel, 20, dipilih sebagai penerima anugerah itu di atas kejayaannya merangkul lima pingat emas dan memperbaharui empat rekod Sukan SEA dalam acara 100, 200, 400 gaya bebas dan 100 meter kuak kupu-kupu pada Sukan SEA XXV di Laos, Disember lalu.

Ini kali kedua Daniel merangkul anugerah itu selepas kali pertama mene- rimanya pada 2007 di atas kejayaan menyumbang dua pingat emas dalam acara 100m kuak kupu-kupu dan 200m gaya bebas dan mencipta rekod baru kejohanan pada Sukan SEA di Korat, Thailand.

"Selepas ini, fokus saya untuk memenangi pingat pada Sukan Asia di Guangzhou China dan Sukan Komanwel New Delhi, India tahun ini," kata Daniel semalam.

Kejayaan pasukan badminton wanita negara yang melakar sejarah menamatkan penantian 34 tahun pingat emas untuk Malaysia selepas menewaskan Indonesia pada perlawanan akhir Sukan SEA di Laos memboleh- kan mereka menerima anugerah Olimpian Wanita 2009.

Sepuluh pemain yang menganggotai pasukan itu terdiri daripada pemain perseorangan wanita, Wong Mew Choo, Lydia Cheah, Tee Jing Yi, Sannatasah Saniru dan beregu, Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty, Chong Sook Chin- Woon Khe Wei serta Goh Liu Ying-Ng Hui Lin.

Kedua-dua penerima anugerah tertinggi itu membawa pulang wang tunai RM10,000 dan sebuah trofi yang disampaikan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan Presiden Majlis Olimpik Malaysia, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar.

Pada majlis itu, Timbalan Presiden MOM, Datuk Dr. M. Jegathesan dianu- gerahkan Trofi Sukan dan Memerangi Dadah Majlis Olimpik Antarabangsa (IOC).

Beliau yang juga seorang doktor, pernah mewakili negara dalam tiga Sukan Olimpik pada 1960, 1964 dan 1968 dan menjadi tokoh sukan paling lantang memerangi penggunaan dadah dalam sukan sejak beliau menjadi anggota Jawatankuasa Perubatan MOM sekitar tahun 1980-an.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Top national swimmer Daniel Bego and the national women's badminton team were named the Best Male and Female Olympians of 2009, respectively, at the Olympian Night held at Wisma OCM here on Saturday night.

Daniel, 20, who hails from Kuching, was selected for having won five gold medals and having rewritten four records, in the 100m, 200m, 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly, at the 25th SEA Games in Laos last month.

He won the fifth gold in the 200m butterfly event but fell short of rewriting the record.

This is Daniel's second Olympian award. He won the first one in 2007 after having qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in three events and having bagged two golds, in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle, as well as having set new records at the Korat SEA Games in 2007.

"I am very happy with my achievement. After this, my focus is on winning medals at this year's Asian Games (in Guangzhao, China) and Commonwealth Games (in New Delhi, India)," he said after the awards presentation.

The women's badminton team won the gold medal after beating Indonesia in the final at the 25th SEA Games in Laos, thus ending a 34-year gold drought for the country in the event.

The 10-member team comprises singles players Wong Mew Choo, Lydia Cheah, Tee Jing Yi, Sannatasah Saniru and doubles players Chong Sook Chin, Woon Khe Wei, Goh Liu Ying, Ng Hui Lin, Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty.

Both Daniel and the women's badminton team received a trophy and RM10,000 cash each from Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar.

Meanwhile, OCM deputy president Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan was awarded the International Olympic Council (IOC) Trophy "Sport and the Fight against Doping".

The medical doctor had participated in three Olympic Games, in 1960, 1964 and 1968, and has been in the forefront of the fight against doping in sports since he became a member of the OCM's Sports Medicine Committee in the 80's.

-- BERNAMA
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