KUALA LUMPUR: Kwan Yoke Meng believes the standard of junior shuttlers has improved following the conclusion of this year's Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) badminton meet on Thursday.
The Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) coach attributed the fine performances to the respective state development programmes and hopes to see continuous improvement in coming years.
Yoke Meng, when contacted, said: "I am pleased because the standard of our junior shuttlers has improved so much as compared to previous years.
"I can already pick out a few outstanding players and they are not BJSS students.
"Of course, I am pleased that our BJSS shuttlers were in most of the Under-18 finals, but it was the Under-15 and Under-12 categories that caught my attention."
Yoke Meng, who is in charge of the Form Four and Five students at BJSS, singled out Under-12 boys' singles champion Eogene Ewe Eon from Perak, Under-15 girls' singles runner-up Letshanaa A. Karupathevan and Arena Satu Samin of Sabah as the most outstanding non-BJSS shuttlers.
"Both girls showed great potential and they are only 14, while Eogene is in a class of his own.
"It's good to see players coming up through the respective state development programmes and I hope to see more of this in the years to come."
Yoke Meng added that beginning this year, the BA of Malaysia (BAM) will look into the selection process entirely, and not split the responsibility with the Education Ministry as how it was done in the past.
MSSM FINAL RESULTS
Under-12 - Boys' singles: Eogene Ewe Eon (Prk) bt Kimi Ng In Qin (Ked) 21-15, 21-17; Doubles: Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Low Han Chen (KL) bt Chew Chen Hong-Muhammad Faiq Haziq Masawi (Sel) 21-12, 21-17;
Girls' singles: Chew Tze Teng (NS) bt Sarah Ngu Xian Meow (KL) 21-18, 21-14; Doubles: Lai Ting Cen-Ung Yi Xing (NS) bt Lim Yi Wei-Sarah Ngu Xian Meow (KL) 18-21, 21-13, 21-11.
Under-15 - Boys' singles: Muhd Atef Haikal Taufik (Sel) bt Hamizan Moses (Sab) 24-26, 21-16, 21-16;
Doubles: Muazzam Danish Hanafi-Muhd Atef Haikal Taufik (Sel) bt Jacky Kok-Muhammad Erfan Abdul Rahman (Ked) 21-19, 22-20:
Girls' singles: Go Pei Kee (Joh) bt Letshanaa A.Karupathevan (Sel) 21-16, 7-21, 21-18; Doubles: Go Pei Kee-Myisha Mohd Khairul (Joh) bt Cheng Su Hui-Cheng Su Yin (Ked) 21-15, 16-21, 21-17
Under-18 - Boys' singles: Chia Weijie (KL) bt Neville Baptist Nosius Luaran (Sab) 13-21, 21-14, 21-13;
Doubles: Chia Weijie-Tee Kai Wun (KL) bt Chung Kin Wai-Shaun Wong (Sel) 21-8, 21-11;
Girls' singles: Eoon Qi Xuan (Per) bt Eng Sin Jou (Ked) 21-11, 17-21, 21-14;
Doubles: Eng Sin Jou-Pearly Tan (Ked) bt Toh Ee Wei-Yap Ling (Mel) 14-21, 21-16, 22-20;
Mixed doubles: Wyman Goh-Toh Ee Wei (Mel) bt Tee Kai Wun-Wong Kha Yan (KL) 21-16, 21-13