KUALA LUMPUR: The world junior championships silver medallist Low Zi Yu won her third straight Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) Grand Finals by clinching the girls’ singles Under-15 title at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara, on Sunday (Nov 24).
Fourteen-year-old Zi Yu, representing Johor, needed just 28 minutes to defeat Teoh Sue Mei from Kuala Lumpur with a score of 21-10, 21-17.
"I am thrilled to win this tournament for the third time. I think the format of this competition is excellent as it helps produce more athletes to represent the country on the international stage,” she said.
Zi Yu previously won the girls’ singles Under-13 title at the AJBC in 2022 and 2023.
She said her focus was now on 2025, where she aimed to participate in more Under-18 and Under-21 tournaments to challenge herself and further improve her game.
Apart from Zi Yu, champions in six other categories were crowned at the AJBC Grand Finals. Putera Raees Rafeal Sulaiman and Cheong Kai Sheng secured victories in the boys’ singles Under-13 and Under-15 events, respectively.
Ng Cia Tin-Putra Assolihin Mohamad Hamim emerged as the boys’ doubles Under-13 champions, while Chong Yan Cheng-Mohd Najib Haqimi Mohamad Osman claimed the boys’ doubles Under-15 title.
Meanwhile, Siti Nur Aminah Abdullah triumphed in the girls’ singles Under-13 and partnered with Adiq Puteri Waheeda Hermazan to win the girls’ doubles Under-13. A. Baavanya-Nur Aina Maisarah Muhammad Hatta clinched the girls’ doubles Under-15 title.
Each singles winner received RM1,000 in cash, while doubles winners took home RM1,200 per pair.
Allianz Malaysia Berhad CEO Sean Wang said that the company also awarded a special grant worth RM2,000 to each champion, in addition to the cash prizes.
"Badminton is a high-cost sport, and we hope this special grant will help cover training costs, purchase equipment, and fund participation in tournaments, as players need to compete to improve their performance," he said.
Wang also highlighted the introduction of a new U-11 category, which drew a total of 3,113 participants. He noted that transportation and accommodation costs for players from Sabah and Sarawak participating in the AJBC Grand Finals were fully covered by Allianz Malaysia.
He added that this initiative aimed to unearth more talents like Zi Yu and alumni Dania Sofea Zaidi, who recently won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. - Bernama
