KISONA OVERCOMES NAUSEA TO RETAIN SINGLES TITLE
Kisona overcomes nausea to fight back and retain title
PETALING JAYA: National women’s singles shuttler S. Kisona has successfully retained the Malaysian International Series title to garner a third title of her career.
It was also probably the best moment yet for the 20-year-old as she needed to battle through sickness for 50 minutes to overcome Taiwan’s Liang Ting-yu 14-21, 21-7, 21-19 at the Penang BA Badminton Hall in Bukit Dumbar, Penang, yesterday.
“I have no idea how I did it!” said Kisona. “I was feeling nausea before the match, I don’t know why. It could be food poisoning.
“It happened about 10 minutes before the match, so there was no time for me to seek treatment.
“But it’s a final and I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. It was one of the most uncomfortable matches I endured ... I felt weak and wanted to vomit during the match.
“Still, I didn’t give up and somehow won. Perseverance really paid off for me.
“Right after the prize-giving ceremony, I quickly rushed to the toilet and threw up. “When I looked at the medal after the ceremony, it was worth it. I’m going to cherish this victory for a long, long time.”
Payee Lim Peiy Yee-M. Thinnah made it a double joy for the Malaysian camp when they defeated Taiwan’s Cheng Yu-chieh-Chung Kan-yu 21-17, 21-14 to mark their first-time partnership with a title.
Indonesia claimed two titles through Gatjra Fiqihila Cupu (men’s singles) and Andika Ramadiansyah-Bunga Fitriani Romadhini (mixed doubles).
South Korea’s former world champions Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol bagged their second title of the season to add to their Vietnam Open triumph in July.