Young shuttlers shine at Sarawak Energy Junior Badminton Championship Grand Finale

Winners of the Sarawak Energy Junior Badminton Championship Grand Finale 2023.

KUCHING, Nov 14: The recent Sarawak Energy Junior Badminton Championship Grand Finale has showcased the triumph of young badminton players from across the State.

According to a press release from Sarawak Energy Berhad (Sarawak Energy), 120 junior badminton players throughout the State convened in Kuching to test their skills and compete to be the best State player.

“The tournament’s Grand Finale was held at the Sarawak Badminton Association Hall last weekend following a series of tournaments that took place in Kuching, Miri, and Sibu throughout the year.

“Held annually, the event aims to nurture interest and develop young badminton talents,” read the press release.

Eight top ranked players from the three-legged tournament earned their spots in the finale under the Boys’ Singles, Girls’ Singles, Boys’ Doubles, and Girls’ Doubles categories for the Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, Under 18, and Under 20 age groups.

“The tournament was played based on a 21-points, best-of-three-games system. The top eight ranked players were drawn to play in a round-robin system at the group stage with the top two from each group proceeding to the semi-final knockout stage, with each player permitted to participate in a one match tie.”

In the Boys’ Singles Under 12 category, Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) players Darrick Ong and Chong You Jia emerged as champion and first runner-up respectively. The second runner-up position was jointly won by Vincent Lau and Daniel Firdaus.

In the Girls’ Singles Under 12 category, the champion was Rosella Tania, with Samantha Kong as first runner-up. Aizalea Izzara and Lydia Lau jointly won the second runner-up position.

Meanwhile, in the Boys’ Singles Under 14 category, the champion was Athan Yang with Jared Foo as the first runner-up. Adam Wong and Chong Yan Cheng were the second runners-up.

Janice Tchin Yao Xuan emerged as the champion in the Girls’ Singles Under 14 category, with Wafa Shahmina as the first runner-up, and both Wendy Feebie Ricky and Brenda Jong as second runners-up.

The pair of Chong Yan Cheng and Mohamad Najib Haqimi were crowned champions in the Boys’ Doubles Under 14 category, after playing against Athan Yang and Noel Liew (JPRO), who finished as the first runner-up. The second runners-up in the same category were the pairs of Adam Wong with Bosco Ng and Jared Foo with Liu Zi Chen.

In the Girls’ Doubles Under 14 category, Brenda Jong and her partner, Yuki Leong were crowned winners after defeating Wafa Shahmina and Wendy Feebie Ricky, who came in second. In third place were the pairs of Calista Lim with Maria Alexa Patrus and Eunice Chong with Qies Nur Masyiela.

Leong Ming Kai was crowned the winner of the Boys’ Singles Under 16 category after his finals match against Jack Huong, while Chung Jia Ho and Ho Sin Hong were the second runners-up.

In the Girls’ Singles Under 16 category, Nurin Izzah Qistina was crowned the winner after defeating Megan Tan in the finals, with Julia Yek Ping and April Lee Tong coming in as second runners-up.

Ho Sin Hong and Jack Huong were crowned winners of the Boys’ Doubles Under 16 category after defeating Adryan Sim and Antonio Ong, who settled as the first runners-up. The pairs of Alven Sia with Leong Ming Kai and Janson Kuan with Leacus Tang came in third.

In the Girls’ Doubles Under 16 category, April Lee Tong and her partner, Nurin Izzah Qistina, emerged champions, with Janice Tchin and Megan Tan as the second-place finishers. Hannah Toh with Julia Yek Ping, and Sally Vong with Sharon Vong came in third.

Chung Jia Ho was crowned champion in the Boys’ Singles Under 18 category, with Chin Kang Neng as the first runner-up. Both Eric Choo and Lewis Liew were the second runners-up.

The Boys’ Doubles Under 18 category saw Brendan Liu and Darrent Lim crowned winners after a match against Chin Kang Neng and Eric Choo, who finished as first runners-up. The second runners-up were Elvis Tiong with Freddie Lambert and Alexander Lee Wei, who partnered with Tan Han Fong.

Meanwhile, Dexter Ong championed the Boys’ Singles Under 20 category, beating second place winner Ting Siang Yu, while Josiah Ko and Daren Ling were the second runners-up.

In the Girls’ Singles Under 20 category, the champion was Sim Jia Min (Miri), with Tiffany Law as the first runner-up and Honey Leong (Sibu) as the second runner-up.

Eighteen-year-olds Brendan Liu and Darrent Lim were again champions in the Boys’ Doubles Under 20 category after a match against Ashley Chua and Darrell Ong, who finished as the first runners-up. The second runners-up were Aryan Syahimad Lee with Lewis Liew Tao Chai and Alexander Lee Wei, who partnered with Ayden Chua.

In the Girls’ Doubles Under 20 category, the winning pair was Ho Sing Yen and Sim Jia Min. Ashreney Kho and Tiffany Law were the first runners-up, and the second runners-up were the pairs of Honey Leong with Nicole Hon, and Kong Pei Ting with Ngien Kee Xin.

“Sarawak Energy aims to power young badminton talents by providing an additional avenue to groom young shuttlers for future local, regional, and international competitions.

“Sarawak Energy’s Regional Manager for the Western Region, Ir Ts Dr Tan Joo Kok, presented cash prizes of nearly RM14,000 and medals to the winners,” Sarawak Energy added. — DayakDaily