Sports

Friday October 23, 2009

Jian Hao tunes up for swan song at meet

MALAYSIAN doubles shuttler Goh Jian Hao believes that the fate of his badminton career will depend very much on his performance in the world junior championships.

The 18-year-old will be making his final appearance in the World Juniors and he is aware that he needs to put up a good show in Alor Setar to impress the coaches and earn a place in the national back-up squad next year.

“Most of the players in the Malaysian squad, including myself, will be making our final appearances in the World Juniors,” said the lanky shuttler.

“There is no better way in winning a place in the back-up squad than to emerge a world junior champion, either in the mixed team or individual event.

“There is much at stake for the players in the team here.”

Jian Hao will partner Pang Zheng Lin and the pair are expected to feature in the boys’ doubles ties in the mixed team event.

They duo played crucial roles to help Malaysia beat China in the Asian junior mixed team final in Kuala Lumpur in July. But in the individual event, they bowed out in the quarter-finals.

Another Malaysian pair, Ow Yao Han-Yew Hong Kheng, emerged as the runners-up in the Asian Juniors. But their partnership has been terminated with Yao Han now partnering Chooi Kah Ming in Alor Setar.

“If given the chance to feature in the team event again, I will do my best to repeat Malaysia’s famous victory (over Chian in the Asian Juniors),” said Jian Hao.

“But Yao Han-Kah Ming have also been performing well in training and I believe the coaches know best when they name the line-up for the team matches.”

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