Fired up on their own
Independent pair Arif-Azriyn out to make big strides in 2019
PETALING JAYA: Independent men’s doubles pair Arif Abdul Latif-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub are hungry for more success in 2019.
The duo made fine progress this year as they climbed from world No. 289 to 33 in the rankings in only eight months.
Arif-Azriyn are now the fourth-ranked pair in the country behind Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (No. 14), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 22) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 29).
They have set two new goals – break into the top 10 and qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by the end of next year.
“Azriyn and I can only get better and together, we aim to scale greater heights,” said Arif.
“We came from scratch when we reunited early this year and we’re very proud to be where weare right now.
“We’ve a good world ranking now to qualify for most of the top-tier tournamentsand it helps us with our planning.
“We’ll double our efforts in training and aim to upset top-ranked opponents on a regular basis.
“Ultimately, we want to win tournaments and break into the top 10.”
The one-year Olympic qualifying period begins in May and a country can have a maximum of two eligible pairs if both are in the top-eight bracket.
“We’ve every chance to qualify but it’ll be tough. We’ll strengthen our combination under the guidance of our coach Zakry (Abdul Latif ).”
Arif-Azriyn are one of the best-performing independent shuttlers in the country besides Liew Daren, who won bronze at the World Championships in Nanjing.
In their 12 international appearances this year, they won the Russian Open in July, finished runners-up at the Osaka International Challenge in April, and made it to the last four of the Vietnam Open (August) and Hyderabad Open (September).
They believe they have proven a point to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), who recalled them to the national team in April only to release them three months later.
“It was a roller-coaster year, but we’re glad to end the year strongly,” said Arif.
“We must thank Jane Piyatat, the president of (Thai-based) Granular Badminton Club for having faith in us. He gave us the opportunity when we needed support,” added Arif, who will begin the new season by competing in the back-to-back Thailand Masters (Jan 8-13) and Malaysian Masters (Jan 15-20).
We’ll double our efforts in training and aim to upset topranked opponents on a regular basis. Arif Abdul Latif