Choo upstages top seed
News 12:47 PM
CHOO Chi Earn emerged as the champion in the boys’ Under-14 category in the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) ranking competition recently.
Choo created an upset when he upstaged favourite Victor Ong 21-14, 21-23, 21-17) in the final.
Despite the defeat, KLBA chief coach Mohd Hairi Mat Zuber is confident that Ong will bounce back and be a serious contender at the national junior circuit zone meet.
Personal attention: Hairi (left) putting one of his charges through a drill. “After featuring in four earlier matches including three group matches and semi-final, Ong was a bit sluggish and played slower than usual.
“Choo gave a more spirited display because he had nothing to lose against a higher-ranked opponent,” he added.
The boys’ Under-14 section drew 16 competitors vying for the top eight slots in the training squad. They were divided into four groups with four players each and the top qualifier advanced to the semi-finals while the second ranked player in the group featured in the fifth-eighth position play-off.
Hairi predicts his charges would do well in the three age-groups — boys’ Under-12, boys’ Under-14 and boys’ Under-18 — at the zone meet comprising four other states — Malacca, Johor, Terengganu and Pahang.
“It would be a bonus if our Under-16 trainees deliver outstanding results. They are skilful. But, they need to work on their physical fitness,” he added.
The opening leg is in Pahang from Feb 19 to 22 followed by the second leg in Malacca in April.
Last season, Kuala Lumpur had reasonable results in the two-leg zone tournaments but only Ho Yen Mei , the girls’ Under-12 champion in the Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) championships, won the girls’ singles crown in the national junior grand prix finals.
Loke Kok Pong also emerged as the boys’ Under-16 singles champion at both the regional competitions last year. But, the 17-year-old failed to get past the group stage at the national grand prix finals. Loke will start off as the number two ranked player, behind Lee Jian Jie, in the boys’ Under-18 section.
However, KL only have one representative, Loh Siew Yen, in the girls’ Under-18 section. Besides having two trainees in the girls’ Under-12 team, they also have three each in the girls’ Under-14 and Under-16.
“The Kuala Lumpur Junior Closed in March will be an opportunity for us to scout for talents to beef up the girls’ team. Several of the promising girls opted not to join our training programme because they find it difficult to attend training at our centre,” he added.
In the boys’ Under-12 category, 11-year-old Soh Wooi Yik will be spearheading Kuala Lumpur’s challenge.
“We will be fielding a relatively young boys’ Under-12 team as the other five trainees are aged nine and 10 years. Soh is the only one who has been with us for a year,” said Hairi.
The selected trainees are under going training three times a week at the KLBA Stadium in Cheras.
“We are emphasising skill development for the Under-18 players. The Under-12 and Under-14 trainees need more match play to improve on their match temperament,” said Hairi.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 12:47 PM.
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