SHAH ALAM: They say your school forges your future path but national and Federal Territories’ shuttler Erfan Majeed Hajibeigy did not forsee how big a change it would make in his life.
The 19-year-old entered high school with a deep passion for football but now finds himself with a Malaysia Games (Sukma) gold medal in the men’s badminton team event on Thursday (Aug 20) at the Setia City Convention Centre.
"I found out that Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei used to train in my school and was motivated to pick up a racquet as well," said the Taylor's International School Kuala Lumpur (formerly Sekolah Sri Garden) alumnus.
Erfan played his part in his team’s 3-1 victory over Penang by defeating Tan Kean Wei 21-17, 11-21, 24-22.
Currently ranked 218th in the world, Erfan attributes his seamless transition to badminton to his diverse sporting background, which included football, volleyball, basketball and baseball.
Erfan added that the decision to pivot away from football was also influenced by the physicality of the sport.
"I had gotten lots of injuries in my time playing football. My parents and I decided it would be better for me in the long run to pursue this instead."
Regrettably, Erfan still experiences lingering effects from his past Iliotibial band knee injury.
"I feel some pain after matches. So I have to do more recovery."
Despite a 21-9, 18-21, 21-23 defeat to Melaka’s Lee Yen Wei in the individual men’s singles on Friday (Aug 21), Erfan is positive that leaving his debut Games with a gold medal will only boost his confidence in future competitions.
