Selangor’s Haziq Najib is eyeing a return to the national badminton squad after emerging as men’s singles champion at the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) on Monday.
Haziq Najib kept his cool as the momentum shifted in both directions to beat Ayu Fu Sheng of Negri Sembilan with a score of 21-12, 15-21, 21-15 in the final which took place at the Setia City Convention Centre.
The 21-year-old said he was surprised to win the gold medal as the draw was filled with players from the current national team.
This includes Fu Sheng who defeated Eogene Ewe of Perak in the second round.
“I am grateful to be able to win and donate this gold medal to Selangor, this is a proud achievement for me,” said Haziq, who is currently training at the New Vision Badminton Academy.
“It was a tight match. In the deciding game, once I was ahead, I just tried to maintain that margin until the end.”
Kee Is Qian from Kedah won the bronze medal after beating his teammate, Chong Lee Qian, with a score of 21-13, 21-17.
Haziq Najib, who is part of the national team squad in 2022, said that he took part in trials with the national team last year but did not make the cut.
He was determined to try again.
“There was a (national) coach who came to watch during the preliminary rounds here and he said he wanted to see me during the trials in September,” added Haziq.
“I took part in the selection last year but didn’t hear anything from them after that.”
“I will try again this year, I will give my best.”
In the women’s singles final, Siti Zulkaikha Azmi from Melaka defeated Lee Kay Xin from Federal Territory with a score of 21-12, 21-15 to win the gold medal and live up to expectations.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me because I’m the top seed and also the oldest player here,” said the 20-year-old.
“I just tried my best to control my emotions and stay calm. I’m happy that I managed to complete this job.”
Lee Mun from Perak won the bronze medal after defeating Eng Ler Qi from Selangor with a score of 21-17, 21-17.
Article Tag: bam, sukma, raziq najib
Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/badminton/menangi-sukma-games-haziq-najib-berharap-back-ke-tim-national