Badminton Juniors Set For Ottawa Event
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Three youngsters will represent Bermuda at the Victor Ontario Junior C Badminton Tournament in Carleton, Ottawa.
JitHom Liew will compete in the under-15 division, while Joseph Lau and Aaron Lee will feature in the under-19 category. They will be accompanied by coach Emma Moran-Lee.
The team leaves on island on New Year’s Day.
Liew, 13, who attends Somersfield Academy and has been playing badminton for two years, said he hopes to achieve a podium finish.
[Photograph: Aaron Lee and Joseph Lau]
“I’ve been training consistently [for the tournament],” he told Bernews.
“I’ve also been doing plyometric exercises to work on my explosiveness and running to improve my stamina.
“I also increased the number of training sessions to better prepare myself for the tournament.
“At the tournament, I’m hoping to achieve a podium finish in the singles tournament.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to compete in the tournament and am hoping to gain more experience and continue my badminton journey.”
Liew competed at the Victor Ontario Junior C Tournament in Markham, Toronto, in October.
“In that tournament, I was knocked into the consolation by the player who won bronze, and I managed to reach the quarter-finals there,” he said.
“This was quite a big achievement for me, as there were almost 200 players in my age group.”
Meanwhile, Lee, 16, who also attends Somersfield Academy and has been playing badminton for four years, is the son of Moran-Lee, the island’s No 1 women’s player.
“I played at school in classes and afterschool, then joined the National Junior Badminton coaching sessions [at Somersfield],” he said.
“We have been training early mornings and evenings in preparation for the tournament, and we have been getting challenging game play against the adult national team players.
“At the tournament, I’m looking forward to playing games against new opponents. The standard is high in Canada, so I am hoping to win some matches and progress as far as possible in the tournament.”
Lee will compete in all three disciplines: singles, boys doubles with Lau, and mixed doubles with Canadian Sawara Pawar.
“This will be my second experience of competing overseas; the first was in Markham,” Lee said.
“I reached the semi-finals of the consolation tournament with Joseph Lau and quarter-finals of the singles tournament.”
He added: “Travelling as a team is really important, as badminton is more of an individual sport.
“In the October tournament in Markham, we shared a big house, which created a cohesive team as we supported each other on and off the court.”
Coach Moran-Lee said the tournament will serve as the perfect opportunity for the trio to test themselves against overseas opposition.
“It will be a great opportunity for the boys to experience more challenging game play as they are at the top of their game here in Bermuda,” she said.
“We have increased the frequency of their training prior to the tournament to get them game ready.
“Playing against the adult national team players has been really useful to up their level of performance.
“I can’t wait to see the boys in action on the courts.
“What impressed me the most in the previous tournament was their grit and determination, often coming back from losing the first set to win their matches.
“They were calm on court and took on coaching advice to turn their games around.”
