SHAH ALAM, 4 Dec – Karate-do athlete, Loganeshaa Roa s/o Ramaraw and tenpin bowling athlete Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi were chosen as Selangor’s Sportsman and Sportswoman of 2011 respectively.
Loganeshaa Roa defeated three other nominees, including two former Sportsmen of Selangor, Alex Liew Kien Liang of tenpin bowling and cycling athlete Mohd Rizal Tisin as well as Muhammad Azwan Shuhaimi of lawn bowling.
However, Loganeshaa was unable to attend the Sports Awards Ceremony 2011 and was represented by M Panneerselvam, President of the Karate-Do Association of Selangor.
When interviewed after the award ceremony, Panneerselvam hopes that the karate-do athlete can win the gold medal again in the SEA Games next year and also maintain the four gold medals won this year at Sukma 2014 in Perlis.
“We have another two years of training for the SEA Games and Sukma. This year we managed to win four golds in (Sukma) Pahang,” he said.
Selangor Sportswoman of 2011, Zandra, was clearly happy with her first award received by beating three other candidates, Katrina Ann Abdul Hadi of rhythmic swimming, lawn bowling athlete Noorzafirah Noor, and karate-do athlete Syakilla Salni Krisnan Jefri.
“I humbly receive this award.
“This success is more meaningful because it is from my favourite state, Selangor, for which I have represented for more than 10 years throughout my bowling career,” she said.
Zandra said she is currently focusing on the International All Star Classic tournament which is scheduled to be held in mid-December at Sunway and is targeting success at the World Woman Championship in Las Vegas next year.
The Sportsman and Sportswoman of 2011 awards were presented by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, accompanied by the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Youth and Sports Exco, Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi, and Secretary General of the State, Datuk Khusrin Munawi.
The Sportsman and Sportswoman of 2011 each received a cash prize of RM5,000, a trophy, and a certificate of appreciation.
Meanwhile, the Aspiring Sportsman and Sportswoman of 2011 awards went to Foo Dunley and Lee Rou You of table tennis.
They each took home a cash prize of RM2,500, a trophy, and a certificate of appreciation.
The table tennis team of Selangor was voted the Best Team 2011 while Selangor’s Amateur Swimming Association was awarded Best Society 2011.
The Meritorious Officer 2011 award was given to Mohd Ariffin Saleh of cycling, Yong Peng Yeow of squash, and Datuk Hamidin Amin of football.
They each received a cash prize of RM 2,000, a trophy and, a certificate of appreciation.
The 2011 Selangor Sports Awards special award was awarded to the late Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Minhat who had contributed to soccer and the late Ghazali Osman of weightlifting.
Selangor State Health Department and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) were selected for the Special Appreciation Award 2011.
The 2011 Selangor Sports Awards also introduced two new awards, namely Best Male Coach 2011 and Best Female Coach 2011.
Cycling coach, Mahazir Hamad, was named the Best Male Coach 2011 while the coach for kabaddi, Sarweswari Karuppiah was named the Best Female Coach 2011.
In addition, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj consented to deliver incentives for two Paralympic athletes, Hasihin Sanawi and Mohammad Ziyad Zolkefli for winning medals at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
Hasihin Sanawi won the silver medal for the country through recurve archery and took home RM30,000 of financial incentives, a certificate, and a trophy.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Ziyad Zolkefli received an incentive amounting to RM20,000, a trophy, and certificate for winning the bronze medal in the male shot putt F20 in the same tournament.