Sarawak shuttlers reach milestone at National U21 Championships

KUCHING (Jan 26): Genevie Lim Tsin Yen and Wafa Shahmina Rahman etched their names in the history books after becoming the first duo from Sarawak to finish as runners-up in the women’s doubles at the Petronas National Under-21 Championships in Ipoh, Perak on Sunday.

The pair capped an impressive tournament run before conceding 7-15, 11-15 to the experienced Selangor combination of Lee Yu Shan-Wong Zi Yi in the final.

Genevie and Wafa displayed composure and consistency throughout the tournament, beginning with a solid 15-10, 15-13 victory over Auni Fatihin Azuan-Wang Zi Qing in the quarter-finals.

They then caused a major upset in the semi-finals by defeating top seeds Joinne Lee and Teh Xin Ying representing the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) 15-12, 15-12 to book their place in the final.

Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) secretary Datuk Dr Wan Khalik Wan Muhammad said the historic result demonstrated the positive trajectory of junior badminton development in the state.

“Genevie and Wafa showed confidence and maturity on court, and their performance in Ipoh underscores the strength of our development pathway,” he told The Borneo Post.

On behalf of the SBA, he congratulated Genevie and Wafa and extended appreciation to all coaches, parents and officials for their support.

Wan Khalik, who is also the Sarawak team manager, revealed that it marked the first time a Sarawak badminton pair had reached the Under-21 final at the national level.

“Previously, our men’s singles and men’s doubles players only managed to go as far as the semi-finals,” he said.