KUALA LUMPUR — Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) junior head coach, Jeffer Rosobin, remains unfazed by the change in format for next week’s World Junior Championships mixed team event (Suhandinata Cup) in Nanchang, China.
In fact, the Indonesian coach believes the new 10-match, 11-point format — a race to 110 points — will benefit his fast and aggressive players.
Jeffer, who will be without top girls’ singles player Siti Zulaikha Azmi due to a posterior ankle impingement injury, has been preparing the team with simulation training over the past week to familiarise them with the new system.
The format, which was first trialled at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, sees each group tie consisting of 10 matches: two boys’ singles, two girls’ singles, two boys’ doubles, two girls’ doubles, and two mixed doubles. Each match is a race to 11 points, with the first team to reach a cumulative score of 110 points winning the tie.
“This is a very new format being introduced in the mixed team event at the World Junior Championships. It was tested at the 2018 Youth Olympics, but that was slightly different as the teams were made up of players from different countries,” Jeffer told Scoop.
“I’m not too worried about the new format because we’ve been doing simulation training with the senior players to help the juniors adapt quickly. This system will suit aggressive, attacking players,” added Jeffer, who has been ABM’s head of development since October last year.
Malaysia have been drawn in Group C alongside the Netherlands, Estonia, Norway, and Mongolia. Only the group winners will progress to the quarter-finals.
Last year, Malaysia secured a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals in Spokane, United States.
Jeffer also said that Siti Zulaikha’s absence would be unfortunate for the team, given the presence of strong players like boys’ doubles pair Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing.
“…but we don’t want to risk worsening her injury. She needs time to recover.
“We still have players like Ong Xing Yee, Carmen Ting, Faiq Haziq, and Lok Hong Guan, all of whom can deliver results.”
Jeffer emphasised that the team’s goal is to surpass their achievements at the Asian Junior Championships in July.
In that competition, Malaysia claimed a silver medal through Aaron and Khai Xing (boys’ doubles) and three bronze medals in the mixed team event, girls’ singles (Siti Zulaikha), and girls’ doubles (Xing Yee and Carmen).
The Suhandinata Cup will run from September 30 to October 5, followed by the individual event from October 7 to 13.
The Malaysian team departed for China this morning. — September 27, 2024