[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size] Monday July 19, 2004 [size=+2]Chen Jin wins Asian junior title[/size] HWACHEON (South Korea): Lanky Chen Jin is set to be the next Chinese to rule world badminton in the men's singles. Yesterday, the 18-year-old Chen Jin defeated teammate Gong Weijie 15-7, 15-11 to lift the singles title in the Asian Junior Badminton Championships. Prior to the Asian meet, Chen Jin, who started playing in international tournaments last November, had won the French and Polish Open titles. With the win yesterday, Chen Jin will be the overwhelming favourite for the singles crown at the World Junior Championships in Vancouver, Canada in October. China also swept two other titles yesterday. They won the girls singles through Jang Yanjao and the mixed doubles through Shen Ye-Feng Chen. China emerged as the overall champions after sweeping six out of the seven titles in the Asian junior meet. Earlier, they had also won the girls doubles crown (Ding Jiao-Zhao Yunlei) and swept both the boys and girls team titles. The only other title was won by South Korean Jung Jung-young-Lee Ying-dae in the boys' doubles. FINAL RESULTS Boys’ singles: Chen Jin (Chn) bt Gong Weijie (Chn) 15-7, 15-11 Girls’ singles: Jang Yanjao (Chn) bt Lu Lan (Chn) 11-9, 11-2 Mixed doubles: Shen Ye-Feng Chen (Chn) bt Yoo Yeon-seong-Ha Jung-eun (Kor) 15-11, 15-6.
[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size] Sunday July 18, 2004 [size=+2]Malaysia will still rely on senior shuttlers[/size] BY RAJES PAUL PETALING JAYA: The painful wait for Malaysia to see the emergence of talent in badminton continued when the latest batch of junior shuttlers failed to make an impression in the ongoing Asian Junior Badminton Championships at Hwacheon, South Korea. So, for the time being, national singles chief coach Misbun Sidek will have to rely on the same set of seniors in the national team for duties in international tournaments in the next two years. Misbun admitted that the Asian junior meet revealed the yawning gap between the standard of the Malaysian juniors and their counterparts from China and South Korea. With the latest setback, Misbun is not even setting any high hopes on Malaysia's challenge in this year's World Junior Championships in Vancouver, Canada in October. At the Asian meet, none of the Malaysian singles players go through the early round hurdles. The 18-year-old Tan Chun Seang, who lost to South Korean Han Ki-hoon in the third round, was the best performer. The doubles players went one step better when Tan Boon Heong-Hoon Thien How reached the quarter-finals. But they went down tamely at 9-15, 3-15 to top seeds Shen Ye-He Hanbin of China in the last eight. In the team event, the boys' team lost to China in the quarter-finals. “There was no outstanding performances from our players while the badminton powerhouses like China and South Korea continue to produce winners. “These countries will not have to worry for the next two years because they have players who are ready to play alongside the seniors,†said Misbun. So far, China have swept three titles and South Korea have won one in the Asian meet. China won the girl's doubles crown through Ding Jiao-Zhao Yunlei while they also swept both the boys' and girls' team titles. They have two more titles in the bag as today's boys singles and girls doubles finals will be an all-Chinese affairs. South Korea continued to show that they have able doubles players when Jang Sung-ho-Lee Jung-hwan emerged as the boys' champion. Misbun said that Malaysia need to whip up a solid back-up team. “Our junior players have proved that they are not ready for the challenge yet, based on the performances at the Asian meet. “None of these players will be able to go for an international tournament right now,†lamented Misbun. “But I have to understand that these players are coming out from schools, where they only go through one training session a day. Now, I have to gather these talent of ours and groom them in the next two years and get them ready for more international exposures,†he added. A new back-up team is expected to be form by the end of this year.
[size=-1]The Star Online > Sports[/size] Friday July 16, 2004 [size=+2]End of the road for our shuttlers[/size] HWACHEON (South Korea): The Malaysian challenge at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships was wiped out at the Hwacheon Indoor Stadium here yesterday. The best bet for the boys’ doubles title - Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong - lost to top seeds Shen Ye-He Hanbin of China 9-15, 3-15 in the quarter-finals yesterday. With the duo’s failure, Malaysia failed to defend the doubles crown won by Koo Kien Keat-Ong Soon Hock in Kuala Lumpur two years ago. However, the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) players were the Malaysian best performers in the championships. Two other doubles pairs, Au Kok Leong-Khoo Chun Chiat and Azrihanif Azahar-Mohd Hafiz Shaharuddin, crashed out in the second and third rounds respectively. It was also the end of the road for Malaysia in the boys’ singles. Kedah’s Tan Chun Seang went the furthest, losing 14-17, 16-17 to South Korean Han Ki-hoon in the last 16. RESULTS Boys’ singles First round: Markus Wijanu (Ina) bt Azrihanif Azahar 15-11, 15-11; Tan Chun Seang bt Ajay Jayaram (Ind) 15-5, 15-13; Chong Wei Feng bt Arkady Zauman (Kaz) 15-0, 15-2; Lim Kenn bt Huynh Nguyen Khang (Vie) 15-5, 15-0; Lu Qicheng (Chn) bt Mohd Hafiz Shaharuddin 15-9, 15-6. Second round: Chun Seang bt Wang Wai Hong (Hkg) 15-12, 12-15, 15-12; Chol Song-won (Kor) bt Wei Feng 15-0, 15-4; Hong Ji-hoon (Kor) bt Lim Kenn 15-6, 15-13. Third round: Han Ki-hoon (Kor) bt Chun Seang 17-14, 17-16. Boys’ doubles First round: Hoon Thien How-Tan Boon Heong bt Mohd Maujood-Najeem Ibrahim (Mal) 15-1, 15-0. Second round: Thien How-Boon Heong bt Song Chang-yeop-Ko Joon-yeong (Kor) 15-0, 15-6; Putra Adhitya-Agung I Made (Ina) bt Azrihanif Azahar-Mohd Hafiz Shaharuddin 15-6, 15-9; Au Kok Leong-Khoo Chun Chiat bt Saifuddin-Mohd Beheshtian (Ban) 15-1, 15-3. Third round: Li Rui-Cao Lui (Chn) bt Kok Leong-Chun Chiat 12-15, 15-7, 15-10; Thien How-Boon Heong bt Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu (Tpe) 15-12, 12-15, 15-12. Quarter-finals: Shen Ye-He Hanbin (Chn) bt Thien How-Boon Heong 15-9, 15-3. Girls’ singles First round: Chang Kuei-ching (Tpe) bt Anita Kaur Raj 6-11, 11-9, 11-5. Girls’ doubles First round: Anita Kaur Raj- Haw Chiou Hwee bt Kang Young-joo-Kim Mi-joo (Kor) 15-13, 15-10. Second round: Pan Pan-Feng Chen (Chn) bt Anita-Chiou Hwee 15-6, 15-2.
Any more news? Does anyone have more complete results or more news about the Asian Junior Championships? The Korean site doesn't seem to work... (I get a "script timeout" error)
