Giap Chin hopes to come back

GOH Giap Chin still harbours hope of returning to the BA of Malaysia (BAM)

The 24-year-old men’s singles, recently expressed his desire to come back to the national fold after quitting two years ago. But not in the present time.

Giap Chin admitted that the return of Misbun Sidek as men’s singles head coach has got him interested again.

“Of course I would like to return especially with Misbun there as head coach, but I know it is not the right time yet. I am still not as good as some of the top shuttlers in BAM, so I need to train hard to be better first.

“Of course it’s not easy, especially when you are an independent player, but I have noticed some improvement in me, so I’m gonna keep at it and hope to come back one day,” said Giap Chin, who now trains under New vision Badminton Academy (NVBA).

The Penang-born shuttler showed great promise during his junior days, winning the Dutch and German Junior Opens in 2011, but fell out of favour when he got into the senior squad.

As a result, Giap Chin left BAM, even trying his hands at direct sales before deciding to play badminton again. One year down the road since joining NVBA, Giap Chin is slowly on the rise again.

After clinching the Mauritius International title and beating Kuala Lumpur Sea Games-bound Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin at the Taiwan Open in June, Giap Chin is now ranked No 75 in the world.

“I train really hard. Two sessions at least four times a week. I haven’t even gone home to Penang in awhile, because that’s how much I hope to make it in the sport,” he said. Fabian Peter