SEPANG: British Junior Open champion Aifa Azman has no plans to join the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) just yet.
Despite the fact that her 15-year-old sister, fellow junior player Aika, has been at BJSS for the past three years, Aifa says she will remain in Kedah.
Aifa, who just turned 12 in December, started the year with a bang by winning the Under-13 title at the British Junior Open in Sheffield on Monday.
She staged a nail-biting comeback against top seed Jana Shiha of Egypt to win 11-7, 11-2, 8-11, 8-11, 16-14.
It was her first British Junior title and Malaysia’s first in the Under-13 category since Tan Yan Xin’s feat in 2006.
Aifa, who started playing squash at the age of six, said she is comfortable in Kedah for the moment and is in no hurry to leave home. She is looking forward to another year of dominance in the lower-age group.
“I am very happy ... I still can’t believe what has happened in the past week as I need to slowly digest the fact that I’ve just won a major junior title,” said Aifa upon arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Wednesday.
“I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and the support of my family, especially my grandmother who takes me to all my training sessions.
“This is a good start for me but there is still a long way to go and I will train harder.”
With the early confidence booster, Aifa is already looking to the future, aiming at the British Juniors Under-15 title in two years’ time.
“I’m looking forward to a great year ahead. I will be participating in a few competitions like the National Junior Circuit and Penang Junior Open and I aim to win both,” said Aifa, who scored 4As and 1B in her Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examinations last year.
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