KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to allow national junior shuttlers to train with the senior team is yielding positive results.
Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing's victory in the boys' doubles at the Dutch Junior International on Sunday shows that remarkable results are attainable through intense training and high-quality sparring sessions.
In their first international of the season, Aaron-Khai Xing defeated two formidable Chinese opponents, Chen Yong Rui-Chen Zhe Han in the semi-finals (21-17, 19-21, 21-14) and Hu Ke Yuan-Chen Zhe Han in the final (21-18, 21-19) on the same day, securing the prestigious title.
Ke Yuan-Yong Rui were silver medallists at last year's Asia Junior Championships (AJC).
The Dutch Junior International and the German Junior event in Berlin this week are premier events in the international junior scene, attracting top shuttlers from Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.
National boys' doubles coach Pang Cheh Chang hailed the close working relationship between the senior and junior coaches, which is yielding results.
The junior team hope to build on this ahead of the AJC in July and the World Junior Championships in October.
Also impressive were the boys' pairing of Lok Hong Quan and Faiq Haziq and the girls' singles player Siti Zulaikha Azmi.
They were semi-finalists in their respective events.
"Aaron-Khai Xing have been training with the back-up members of the senior team for some time, improving their speed, power, and court consistency.
"Not only did coaching director Rexy Mainaky give junior players the opportunity, but he also ensured that senior team coaches monitored their progress closely.
"It shows that the understanding of the players and a great working relationship between the coaches can achieve wonders.
"Aaron and Co also show a good attitude in training, and that matters too."
Faiq, competing in the boys' singles, made it to the last 16 alongside compatriot Kee Is Qian.