What started as a simple attempt to lose weight has grown into a promising badminton journey for Lim En Yu, who is now making her mark at the inaugural Lee Chong Wei Cup.
The Kedah youngster advanced to the girls’ Under-13 last 32 at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara on Monday after defeating Vanessa Loke Tin Qing 15-8, 15-4.
En Yu, who is only 12, initially took up badminton because she wanted to become fitter. She started by training just once a week before gradually developing a passion for the sport and increasing her training.
“At first, I played because I was a little chubby,” En Yu said.
“I trained once a week, then slowly I started enjoying it and began training more often.”
Her growing commitment has already produced encouraging results. En Yu has won several Under-12 Junior Elite Tour titles and recently reached the final of the Philippines Junior tournament.
Although she has enjoyed success in singles, En Yu has her sights set on developing her doubles game as well. She currently trains under Tan Seng Hoe, the father of national doubles star Pearly Tan.
“I like doubles more, but my coach wants me to develop my singles first,” she said.
The LCW Cup will give En Yu an opportunity to show what she can do in doubles too, as she is scheduled to partner Perak’s Loh Hui Yee.
The young shuttler also has ambitions of representing Malaysia at the Olympics one day, with hopes of competing in both singles and doubles.
Meanwhile, the boys’ Under-17 category saw Sabah’s Nur Izz Danish Rosni Zamuddin Shah produce an encouraging win over Lim Hong Rui, prevailing 15-8, 18-16.
The 16-year-old is looking forward to testing himself against stronger opponents as the tournament progresses, viewing every tough match as an opportunity to gain valuable experience.
“When I play against stronger players, I gain experience,” Izz said.
“I’ll go all out. Win or lose comes later. The important thing is that I give everything.”
Izz was also impressed by the scale and presentation of the LCW Cup, particularly the electronic scoreboards and livestream coverage.
“I’ve played overseas before, but I have never experienced anything like this,” he said.
With Malaysia’s young talents gathering at Stadium Juara, the inaugural LCW Cup is providing players such as En Yu and Izz with more than just a chance to win. It is giving them valuable exposure and a taste of the competitive environment they hope to experience at the highest level of badminton.
