Aison Diong from SMK Methodist Ayer Tawar nearly made it a double in the Boys U-15 Singles and Doubles at the recent Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) Qualifying Round Three in Ipoh, Perak but succumb in the Singles final to his doubles partner Ong Chin Hang from Yik Ching High School.

With the win, he and Chin Hang automatically qualifies for the Grand Finals and has a chance to atone for last year’s disappointment where he was a no-show as his partner then had school examinations to attend.

"It was very disappointing for sure as I really thought that we could have done quite well at the Grand Finals. It is what it is, so for this year, I have a different partner (Ong Chin Hang) and I hope that we can go all the way."

"I have been working on psyching myself up during matches where I keep repeating to myself on the need to stay strong," added the Perak state player, who aims to emulate the achievements of his idol Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

Other double winners at the tournament were A. Baavanya from Methodist Girl School in the Girls U-15 Singles and Doubles and also, Wong Tze Han from SMK (L) Methodist in the Boys U-13 Singles and Doubles.

The Allianz Junior Badminton Championship (AJBC) is back this year with additional Qualifying Rounds in Sabah, Sarawak and Pahang, taking the overall number of locations to 10 this year and is expected to attract more than 2,500 young badminton talents, 500 more than last year.

Supported by the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM), the tournament will take place nationwide beginning this month. There will be a three-day qualifying round organised nationwide across 10 locations from July to November, with a four-day Grand Finals scheduled from 16-19 November at Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur.

AJBC 2023 Grand Finals singles and doubles winners will pocket RM1,000 and RM1,200, respectively. Winners at all ten Qualifying Rounds will take home RM500 with the doubles champion earning RM600.