KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- Federal Territories (WiPers) squash player Joachim Chuah Han Wen has a dual mission in his first appearance at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Sarawak, which will be held from Aug 17-24.
Chuah, affectionately known as 'Jojo', aims to end a seven-year gold medal drought for the WiPers squad in the men’s singles event and also reclaim the gold in the men’s doubles.
The 19-year-old athlete, however, admits to facing tough challenges from Negeri Sembilan and the host athletes from Sarawak in his quest to achieve his dreams in the Land of the Hornbills.
“Negeri Sembilan’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran is my main challenger in the men’s singles. His world ranking is higher than mine. Kelantan is also a strong contender as the defending champion in the men’s doubles, and Sarawak will also be a tough opponent.
"But my team and I have prepared adequately and are more confident in our respective game plans, so I feel we will achieve better results this year," he told Bernama.
The last time the WiPers team won gold was at SUKMA 2018 in Ipoh through Ng Eain Yow in the men’s singles and the men’s team event.
At SUKMA 2022, the men’s singles gold was won by Kedah’s Ong Sai Hung, while the men’s doubles title went to Kelantan pair Wee Ming Hock-Muhammad Amir Amirul Azhar.
However, all three athletes will not be competing at SUKMA Sarawak as they have exceeded the age limit for participation.
Jojo also mentioned that the two championships he won this year at the Hong Kong Club Challenge 6k and the Western Australia Open International 6K have given him more confidence to put up a strong fight at SUKMA.
“This year, I won two professional tournaments which helped boost my ranking in the national team. I have gained more experience against top players in the world and also in handling pressure. That experience has accustomed me to travelling, so adapting to Kuching will not be a big problem for me.
"My targets in the singles and doubles are definitely gold. For the team event, I hope we can reach the quarter-finals," he said.
Jojo will partner Sam Yong Juin Xian in the doubles.
-- BERNAMA
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