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Tuesday November 3, 2009

Boys’ doubles crown a fitting finale to tourney

ALOR SETAR: Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kah Ming’s last-ditch heroics to clinch the boys’ doubles title made the huge difference to the morale of the entire Malaysian squad who competed in the just concluded World Junior Badminton Champion­ships.

As the hosts, the Malaysian performance was always going to be judged by their ability to clinch a title.

After misses in the mixed team event and the boys’ singles finals, Yao Han-Kah Ming duly delivered when it mattered by defeating Indonesians Berry Anggriawan-Muhammad Ulinnuha 19-21, 21-12, 23-21.

The pair’s crowning as champions ensured that Malaysia have won a title in the annual Under-19 event for the third consecutive year.

Lim Khim Wah-Ng Hui Lin won the mixed doubles in 2007 (Auckland) and Mak Hee Chun-Teo Kok Siang took the boys’ doubles title last year (Pune).

Team manager Hou Kim Tho said: “I would describe our overall performance as satisfactory. The success of Yao Han-Kah Ming in the very last match of the championships was a fitting finale to the Malaysian campaign on home soil.

“As hosts, there was always going to be added pressure on our players. But they not only managed to win a trophy for the third straight year but also clinched two silver medals.”

The national squad also broke several barriers in this year’s championships.

The shuttlers muscled into their maiden team final before losing 0-3 to China. Iskandar Zulkarnain also raised the bar for the singles players after being the first Malaysian to feature in a final in 11 years.

And for once, Malaysia had female players who were considered serious challengers by their rivals in both the singles and doubles events.

“Although Iskandar played poorly in the final (lost to China’s Tian Houwei), we must not forget the fighting spirit and determination he showed in his comeback wins in the quarter-final and semi-final matches.

“This boy has a bright future in the game,” said Kim Tho.

“Sonia (Cheah) and (Yang) Li Lian also deserve special mentions for their good shows against more experienced opponents in the girls’ singles. Both are still young and can return stronger for next year’s challenge.”

Besides Malaysia, the other countries who ended their campaigns with champions were China (boys’ singles and girls’ doubles) and surprise package Thailand (girls’ singles and mixed doubles).

With the meteoric rise of the Thais and vast improvement made by players from countries like Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and India on the world junior stage, Malaysia cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

“Even before the tournament started, we were aware of Thailand’s strength. They have established themselves to be a force to be reckoned with,” said Kim Tho.

“Other countries are also making quick strides to catch up with favourites China, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea (who skipped this year’s edition of the championships). We need to take the threat seriously and work harder.”

The championships next year will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in April.

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