WOMEN’S singles shuttler K. Letshanaa (pic) has come a long way since losing in the final of the previous Malaysia Games (Sukma) two years ago.
Then, the 19-year-old was not part of the national team after leaving earlier that year to turn independent and lost to Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) Siti Nurshuhaini Azman in the final.
Letshanaa, who turns 21 on Monday, rejoined BAM early last year and has since established herself as the national No. 1.
She is currently ranked No. 59 in the world and is lying behind world No. 32 Goh Jin Wei.
Letshanaa also justified her top seed status in the National Championships last year in the absence of Jin Wei by capturing the title.
The youngster, who represents Selangor just like Nurshuhaini is now hoping to capture the gold that eluded her in 2022 in this Sukma in Sarawak.
Just like in the national meet, Letshanaa is the favourite for the title but is wary of the threat posed by her BAM teammate and Sarawak’s Wong Ling Ching.
“I have confidence that I have high chance to win the gold (this time),” said Letshanaa.
“At the same time, I must not be overconfident since there are some players, who are my teammates in the national team like Ling Ching, who can play well.
“We train together and know each other’s game very well. My preparations, though, have been good and I believe I’ve given my best in training.
“Now, it’s time to go and play my own game on court without putting too much pressure on myself.”
Letshanaa is right to be cautious as Ling Ching gave the former a tough time before losing to her narrowly in three games in the final of the national meet.
The national No. 2 and world No. 80 will also not be lacking motivation as she will be playing in her home state.
Meanwhile, Nurshuhaini, who has endured a difficult time these past two years due to injury and loss of form which saw her drop to No. 225 in the rankings, faces an uphill battle to defend her gold.
The badminton competition starts today in Sibu with the mixed team event. The individual event will be from Aug 21-24.
