PETALING JAYA: A second chance is hard to come by, and mixed doubles shuttler Jimmy Wong is determined to make the most of it after being recalled to the national squad.
Jimmy revealed that he had already been approached by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) following his promising partnership with Lai Pei Jing last year.
Although they did not win any titles, the pair, who only joined forces in March 2025, rose to World No. 23 within a year and finished as runners-up seven times.
Jimmy is grateful to Pei Jing for her support after he shared his intention to part ways to return to the national set-up.
“She was supportive. She knows this has always been my goal. If there’s an opportunity with a new partner, I’ll go for it. She understands, but did not expect it to happen so soon,” said Jimmy.
The 23-year-old harbours no ill feelings towards BAM despite being dropped in 2022, believing the association can help him take his career further, including a push for the Olympics.
“I have to make full use of this opportunity. The past is the past - I cannot change it. I have proven myself and now I just want to move forward,” he said.
Jimmy is also ready to start from scratch again as he will be paired with Cheng Su Yin in the national squad, and is set to report for training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia on Wednesday.
“I have to start from zero again. It is a new partnership and we do not have a ranking yet. But since she already has a higher ranking, we can still compete in bigger tournaments. Still, we need results,” he added.
Jimmy and Su Yin are set to make their debut at the Malaysian Masters from May 19-24.
