IT’S his debut Sukma, and he is playing in a new event – but Johor shuttler Liew Xun is not one to shrink away from a challenge.
Instead, the 21-year-old is excited about competing in the mixed doubles for the first time with Carmen Ting.
Liew Xun usually partners Chia Weijie in the men’s doubles but the 24-year-old Weijie is no longer eligible to compete anymore in the under-21 Malaysia Games.
It will also be a new experience for the 18-year-old Carmen as she usually plays in the women’s doubles with Ong Xin Yee but the latter represents Federal Territories.
Liew Xun-Weijie are among the upcoming pairs in the Badminton Association of Malaysia stable and are currently ranked No. 88 in the world. Carmen and Xin Yee are also a promising young pair and caught the eye when they won bronze in the Asian Junior Championships in June.
Now, both Liew Xun and Carmen have an opportunity to show what they can do in the mixed doubles, without their regular partners.
“The coaches decided to pair us together and told me this about a month ago,” said Liew Xun.
“It’s not easy to play in a new event but I’m excited and looking forward to trying some new things on court with Carmen.”
The pair could only train together for a week before the competition but Liew Xun is still hoping to spring a surprise and win a medal.
“We only had a week to train together as Carmen was competing in the Malaysian Junior International Challenge before Sukma,” said Liew Xun.
“We will need to communicate a lot on court as we had little time to strike up an understanding in court. It will be tough but I hope to win a medal in this Sukma.”
Liew Xun-Carmen’s toughest challengers could be Melaka’s Aaron Tai-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Kelantan’s Kang Khai Xing-Chan Wen Tse.
