Thomas-Uber Cup badminton Starlets 21 Moaners 0

 

Malaysia’s Thomas and Uber Cup badminton teams are quite a package: young, gifted, easy to like and easy to be proud of.

The multi-racial bunch appear daring and different, the sort of a squad a country might find fun, the kind of joy we once experienced with the national football and hockey teams.

Malaysia’s badminton starlets put the moaners, especially the racists, to shame.

It is because of their determination to connect with the country that Malaysia is experiencing the giddy excitement of a new badminton story being written after being oddly fixated on the past.

Its inspiring plotlines involve the best young badminton players many do not yet know much about; the future is quickly becoming the present.

Several of Malaysia’s stars of tomorrow will appear for the first time at the Thomas and Uber Cup finals in Aarhus, Denmark, from Oct 9 to 17

The players in the Thomas Cup squad are aged between 21 and 24 while in the Uber Cup, the youngest is 17-year-old Siti Nurshuhaini Azman and the oldest is Lee Meng Yean, at 27.

Major tournaments are a time of high expectation and hair-trigger tension but if the Sudirman Cup last week is an indication, we can expect our men and women to play with terror in their heart.

The Sudirman Cup shuttlers, aged between 18 and 26, proved they have steel to go with their sense of adventure by overpowering Indonesia’s stars.

Malaysia were in unfamiliar territory, making the semi-finals of the world mixed team championships for the first time in 12 years.

We marvelled at the pace, poise and power of captain Lee Zii Ja and his teammates, showing every young person that it’s possible to become the best, whatever your background.

We welled up at the wild ecstasy on the faces of Hoo Pang Ron and Cheah Yee See after their draining win over Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti for a famous victory over Indonesia.

We saw teammates embracing Hoo and Cheah and in that flash of camaraderie and joy, it was as if we were witnessing all that is possible in a country that is striving pride.

Zii Ja’s heroics in his straight sets win over World No. 1 Kento Momota provided another full-throated collective joy.

It is endearing that World No 53, S Kisona and doubles player, M Thinaah, both 23, speak Tamil, Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin fluently.

Kisona has a Chinese name, Ji Su Na, given to her by a Chinese primary schoolteacher when she studied at SJK (C) Ma Hwa in Kampung Baru Rasah, Seremban.

What a great feeling this is – to be part of a whole.

We thrive best when grounded in a sense of love and belonging with family, neighbours, community and country.

In the exploits of the Sudirman Cup team, a grateful nation, weary of Covid-19 and politics, found exuberant release and a sense of togetherness.

The young warriors could reproduce the same verve and courage at the Thomas and Uber Cup finals.

While the perennial favourites will likely continue to dominate in Aarhus, Malaysia’s new era of players will use the opportunity to build and develop together on comradeship, discipline and intense loyalty which cannot fail to be uplifting.

With England’s withdrawal from the Thomas Cup due to injures to three of their four singles players, Malaysia and Japan should make the quarterfinals as the top two teams from Group D, having only to beat Canada.

The women will have to overcome China, Denmark and Canada to make the last eight but expect them to entertain along their way.

There is plenty of time for these starlets to make their cases.

People will moan and complain, because people like to moan and complain.

Sport allows us to show our shared passion, the same things the CEO and the labourer want.

Those who boo and abuse players on social media are cowards on the losing side.

A nation’s achievement can be picked to pieces if negative souls are cruelly inclined. It still surprises that many are.

The rest of us are entitled to dream a little bigger. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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