PETALING JAYA: Sarawak may have missed their target of winning at least a badminton bronze medal at the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma), but new coach James Chua (pic) believes his young side can mount a stronger challenge when the Games head to Kelantan in two years’ time.
James was personally satisfied with the performance of his players despite Sarawak returning home empty-handed, knowing they were up against several states who had fielded national players.
He also had less than two months to prepare the Sarawak team after being appointed by the Sarawak Badminton Association in June.
Sarawak came close to winning a medal in the men’s doubles, but Darrent Lim-Isyraf Hafizin Ibrahim went down 17-21, 21-17, 18-21 to Johor’s Toh E Hern-Wee Yee Tern in the bronze-medal playoff.
“Overall, I would say their performance met my expectations, although we did not achieve our medal target.
“They performed quite well and most of them are still eligible for the next Sukma, which is something positive for us.
“Some other states have players who are already close to the age limit, but most of my players can still compete at the next Sukma,” said James.
James previously served as the national women’s singles head coach before joining the Czech Republic team in 2024.
His stint there, however, was cut short when he had to return home in April due to family commitments.
He is now focused on strengthening the structure of Sarawak’s state squad as part of efforts to develop more young talent.
“I think if we prepare properly over the next two years, put the right system in place and improve the structure involving the players, coaches and training programme, we can be much stronger at the next Sukma,” he added.
