PETALING JAYA: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) may not be a powerhouse in international badminton, but they now have something to celebrate after Riyan Malhan struck gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.
Malhan made his victory even sweeter by upsetting top seed Mady Sow of France 21-17, 21-18 in the final at the Dakar Arena.
It was not only the UAE’s first badminton gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games but also the Gulf nation’s first gold in any sport since making their debut at the Games in 2010.
The gold medal came as a surprise even to the UAE shuttler, who had been battling a high fever before the tournament.
“Coming into this tournament, I was not fit at all.
“I had very high fever before the matches, but I managed to pull it off, and I’m really happy I could win a gold medal – more than what I expected,” said Malhan in a post-match interview with the Olympic Information Service (OIS).
Malhan’s victory also rubbed salt into Malaysia’s wounds after the country’s sole representative, Lucas Lee, failed to make it past the group stage.
Lucas had lost to Malhan in their final Group F match, with only the group winner advancing to the quarter-finals.
Interestingly, Malhan’s opponent in the final, Sow, had also spent time training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara in February.
China’s Hong Tianyue took bronze after beating South Korea’s Park Jun-bin 21-17, 21-12.
In the girls’ singles, China’s world junior champion Zhang Yixin was pushed to the limit before overcoming India’s Tanvi Patri 15-21, 21-13, 26-24 in a thrilling 82-minute final.
“The third game was extremely intense.
“At the beginning, I didn’t make the most of the advantage I had, but I managed to win,” said Yixin.
“I was completely absorbed in the match, and every single point had my full attention.
“When I won, I didn’t fully realise what had happened. I don’t think I had really registered that the match was over.
“I am very excited because this is a competition that takes place once every four years.
“Being able to win a medal here is something very special,” she told the Olympic Information Service (OIS).
Japan’s Yuzuno Watanabe took bronze after defeating Taiwan’s Cheng Chih-yun 21-14, 21-8.
