The winners and runners-up of the AJBC second qualifying round
PETALING JAYA: Twenty-four young shuttlers have booked their tickets for the Grand Finals of the Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) after the second qualifying round at the Dewan Badminton KBA in Alor Setar, Kedah.
The competition saw 303 participants from 70 schools around the state.
In the Under-15 boys’ singles, Louis Tan from SMK Chio Min beat Chan Zhen Xuan from SMJK Keat Hwa in the final round of qualifying.
The Under-15 girls’ singles title went to Lim Xin Jie of SMK Bakar Arang, who defeated Hani Sufea from SMK Dato Syed Omar.
Both players are now guaranteed to compete in the Grand Finals.
Supported by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM), the tournament is being held in seven qualifying rounds from July to November.
The finalists from all seven qualifying rounds will then come together for the AJBC Camp ahead of the Grand Finals in Kuala Lumpur in November.
“It was encouraging to see the turnout here in Alor Setar. This is exactly what we set out to do – to reach out to young shuttlers from across Malaysia and give them a chance to compete and gain valuable experience.
“Win or lose, we hope this competition will light a fire and inspire our young players to keep working towards their sporting dreams,” said chief executive officer of Allianz Malaysia Berhad Sean Wang.
The AJBC will feature four events – the Under-13 and Under-15 (for boys’ singles and doubles; and girls’ singles and doubles).
