PETALING JAYA: Canadian women’s singles shuttler Talia Ng (pic) is grateful to get the opportunity to train in Malaysia.
She is currently about halfway through a month-long training stint at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
“I’m really happy and grateful to get to train here,” said Talia, who is currently ranked 53rd in the world.
“There are really good coaches and facilities here. I like the gym programme here as there are sports scientists, who have good knowledge on the exercises we should do which is very important.
“I’m also really enjoying the training environment here.
“I’ve trained in China, Hong Kong and Thailand before this and I feel the vibes here are the best as everyone is so cheerful.’’
The 21-year-old had met national singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann while competing in a tournament last year and made arrangements to train in the country.
Talia has been training under women’s singles coach James Chua.
She is especially enjoying the camaraderie among the players, which she feels is absent in Canada.
“The system in Canada is a lot different than in Malaysia as badminton is not very popular there.
“We don’t have a national training centre and the players usually train independently in their own clubs.
“As we train by ourselves, we are not close as a team.
“When I’m in Canada, I just train with my coach William Wang every day and it can get a bit boring for me sometimes.
“So, I really like it here as everyone trains together all the time, know each other very well and are here to help each other.’’
She is keen to have more training stints in Malaysia, especially when in the midst of competing in tournaments in Asia.
“I will consider training here again when there are many tournaments close together in Asia.
“I not only enjoy training here but it’s also more convenient to travel from here to the tournaments than from Canada, which is much further.’’
Besides training, Talia is also making the most of her time in Malaysia by travelling around the country.
“I went to Melaka last weekend and plan to go to Penang next. There’re lots of good food in these places for me to enjoy,” she enthused.
On her goals in badminton, Talia said: “For now, I’m aiming to break into the world’s top 40.
“I also want to try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
Talia’s next assignment is the Thailand International Challenge from March 7-12.
