PETALING JAYA: National women’s doubles shuttler Lee Xin Jie (pic) hopes to shine in the upcoming SEA Games after a slow start in her new partnership with Low Yeen Yuan.
The 19-year-old Xin Jie was promoted to the senior squad last November and has been changing partners since then.
Xin Jie started her senior career with partner Valeree Siow, and they competed in the Malaysian International Challenge in December and the Iran International Challenge in January, where they lost in the second round and quarter-finals respectively.
Their partnership came to an end when Xin Jie was combined with Low Yeen Yuan last month.
Xin Jie-Yeen Yuan suffered second-round exits in two tournaments that they competed so far, the Vietnam International Challenge and the Osaka International Challenge last month.
Xin Jie will be playing in both individual and team events in her SEA Games debut in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from May 5-17.
“This is my first SEA Games and it is an opportunity for me to demonstrate my abilities,” said Xin Jie.
“It would be ideal if I could win a medal of any colour but before that, I will focus on one step at a time.”
Xin Jie-Yeen Yuan are determined to work hard to be well-prepared for their challenge in Cambodia.
“Our preparations are going well so far.
“We didn’t produce much results yet but we’re currently working hard to improve on our combination and communication since returning from the last tournament.
“We also have specific and higher intensity training sessions that focus on identifying and improving our weaknesses as part of our preparations for the SEA Games.
“I believe that we’re slowly making progress and every aspect in our partnership is getting better compared to last month when we just partnered.
“Malaysian badminton have a good record in the SEA Games and it motivates us to perform well because we want to win a medal and contribute to the country,” she said.
