NMI debuts in BWF World Champs

The NMI debuted in the U19 Yonex BWF World Junior Championships 2024 in Nanchang, China held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5.

The 12-man NMI Junior National Badminton Team competed in the mixed team relay (Suhandinata Cup) against topnotch junior badminton players from Group F nations Indonesia, Poland, Sri Lanka, and Macau, China.

They also participated in the Badminton World Federation Youth Athlete Development Training Camp last Sep. 26-28.

The team was made up of six girls and six boys. The boys team included Sean Dizon, Marlon Bautista Jr., Dave Odicta, Jude Mallari, Brandon Manacop, and J.P. Delos Reyes, while the girls team consisted of Lina Tsukagoshi, Shaina Malonzo, Genelyn Lansangan, Ruth Charmaine Bautista, Angela Maratas, and Abigael Robles. They were joined by coaches Nathan Guerrero and Janelle Pangilinan and team manager Ezekiel Macario.

Each event against each opponent consisted of two teams each for the singles (men’s, women’s), doubles (men’s, women’s), and mixed doubles for a total of 10 matches. At the end of each event, the scores were tallied for both teams for the total score.

The NMI first faced off with Poland last Sept. 30 and lost with a score of 48-110. Their next opponent, also on the same day, was Indonesia. NMI lost, 47-110. On Oct. 2, they challenged Macau, China and fell, 49-110, and wrapped up the tourney with a loss to Sri Lanka, 45-110.

Despite losing in the tournament, Pangilinan said that the event was a great opportunity for the team to experience challenging players from other countries.

She said, “The first day was good. Some of the players were a bit nervous since it’s their first big competition. Although we lost in the team event, it was a great opportunity for them to challenge other countries. We challenged Poland, Indonesia (who are champions, by the way), Sri Lanka, and Macua, China. We did a placing round in which we challenged Azerbaijan and Uganda.”

For Tsukagoshi, she said, “I feel that from this tournament I have learned many new things mentally and physically. From this experience I have been given, I will use the things I have learned from this tournament to put into play and use it in my future tournaments. I would also teach beginners and younger kids that are interested in badminton to show what this sport is and what they can do with it.”

As for Lansangan, she said, “Being able to take part in the world junior championships was an honor, along with playing with and against various different countries. The training was beneficial to hone my skills and overall, it was a great opportunity to improve my badminton. Overall, I had a great time.”

Odicta, for his part, said, “It was a really great experience having to play badminton abroad against many countries and meeting new people. Getting to see how other juniors at our age play at such a high level inspired me to train harder and learn new factors that surround the sport.”

Published by Saipan Tribune