MALAYSIA’S junior men’s singles shutller Sng Wei Ming is determined to justify the trust placed in him by the coaching team after being selected to represent Malaysia in both the individual and team events at the World Junior Championships in Nanchang, China, later this month.
Having missed out on the previous two editions, Sng is aiming to end Malaysia’s gold medal drought in the tournament, with the last gold won by women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei in 2018.
“This is my first and last chance because I tried twice before, but only now I get to compete at the world juniors. For this edition, I will compete in both the team and individual events.
“If possible, I want to become the champion in the individual event and help my teammates in the team evens,” he told Bernama.
When asked about the new format in the team event, which uses an 11-point system, he admitted it could give the national team an advantage.
The national junior champion said that the team has adapted to the new format for over a month, including holding simulation matches in preparation for the team event.
“At first, it felt different since we’ve never played with the 11-point system before. But after the simulation test at the training camp last week, I feel this format benefits us.
“With this format, players need to be more prepared, no time to relax, and they need to be as fast as possible because the game is shorter,” he added.
The last time Malaysia won a gold medal in the team event was in 2011, in Taiwan.
