ASEAN Student Games 2011: Malaysia wins big in badminton
AMIDST a rainy Saturday, the badminton segment of the inaugural ASEAN games in Melbourne was in full swing. Players from all over ASEAN were battling it out to be the champions and to do their country proud.
Badminton players dug deep for this year’s ASEAN Student Games. Photo: Wan Shing Lang
Malaysia was the big winner, with Siti Nursyahirah Rosman taking the top position in the Female Singles. Christine Pho from Vietnam was the first runner-up while Venus Fung Teng Pok from Malaysia took third place.
The match between Rosman and Pho was a heated one; both strived to gain control. In the middle of the first half, Christine landed a split in a bid to get the shuttlecock over the net. Rosman managed to gain the upper hand after that and continued to lead, ensuring her victory.
Mixed doubles. Photo: Wan Shing Lang
The mixed doubles matches were equally vigorous. Nety Kuriaty and Wendra Hartono from Indonesia, fought hard against Siti Nursyahirah Rosman and Louie Saw from Malaysia during the qualifying rounds.
Kuriaty and Hartono emerged as first runners up, while Varanpron Techvinyoonont and Ng Xian Loong took first place, and Teoh Chai Zhen and Toi Guo Liang came in third.
Men’s Doubles. Photo: Winston Chua
Men’s Doubles. Photo: Wan Shing Lang
In the Men’s Doubles, Hung Nguyen and Gabriel Hii came in first, Soon Tiong Lau and Sam Bennett came in second, and in third place was An Pham and Le Viet Tuan.
In the Men’s Singles, Wen Chen Teoh came home with gold, followed by Alvin Laudi and Sherwin Ho in second and third place respectively.
Men’s Singles. Photo: Wan Shing Lang
The ASEAN Student Games was also an opportunity for players to connect with others who had a common love for badminton. Photo: Winston Chua
In the end, most players walked away smiling but visibly tired. Some exchanged numbers so they could practice with each other. It was clear they didn’t see ASEAN games as just a competition, but as a platform to build relationships and share a love for sport, ever-present all around the world.
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