Jacky’s ready to spring

Junior world No. 3 is itching for real play time on court

In his last outing, top boys’ singles shuttler Jacky Kok Jing Hong (pic) won the German Junior Open title. That was in early March and it has been a painful lack of action since.

The 18-year-old just can’t wait to get his competitive juices flowing again when he makes his first competitive comeback at the National Under-21 Championships at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara from Oct 27-31.

Jacky, ranked No. 3 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) junior rankings, has become more desperate for action after watching his seniors battle it out at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Invitational Championships last week.

“I followed last week’s tournament with interest. I watched some matches in the training hall (at Academy Badminton Malaysia) and caught some through live streaming,” said Jacky, who also impressed with a semi-final outing in the Dutch Junior Open earlier this year.

“It was a joy seeing our senior teammates in action, but it only made me feel like going out to play, too.

“I’m really looking forward to competing again. Hopefully, we get to start off with the National Under-21 meet in October. Although it’s listed in the calendar, things can still change depending on the Covid-19 situation. Let’s just hope it will take place.”

If all goes well, Jacky is aiming to give his seniors a run for their money in the championships.

Senior team members like last week’s BAM Invitational Championships’ winner Ng Tze Yong, Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and Lim Chong King are all expected to take part as they are still eligible.

The prospects of challenging them has got Jacky excited.

Jacky emerged as runner-up to Lee Shun Yang in the second leg of the meet in Perak last December, but Tze Yong and Co were absent as they were competing abroad.

“I’m relishing the chance to play against my seniors, it will be a great opportunity for me to gain experience and learn from them,” he said.

“I played Tze Yong, Aidil and Chong King two years ago and lost in rubber games then, so I’d like to see how far I have come. I want to give my 100% and see if I can upset them. If I can give them a good fight, that would be good enough too.”

It has been nearly a month since Jacky and the other national junior squad member resumed training at the ABM since July 28.

They are preparing for the World Junior Championships (WJC) in Auckland, which has been postponed to Jan 11-24 next year from its initial dates of Sept 28-Oct 11.