RP shuttlers begin quest in Asian U-19

MANILA, Philippines - Seven of the country’s leading junior badminton players slug it out with the best in the region as they compete in the Badminton Asia Youth Under-19 Championships which got under way Sunday in Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

National team and pool members Malvinne Ann Venice Alcala, Gelita Castilo, Gerald Sibayan and Niko Shadrach Saquin head the RP contingent in the event, hopeful of dishing out impressive performances in the mixed team event and individual competitions against a formidable international field.

Backstopping the team are Philip Escueta, Jose Martinez and Nikki Servando of Bacolod City with the RP juniors bracketed in Group C with third seed Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Alcala, Castilo, Sibayan and Saquin hope to show what they learned from the Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) Asian Juniors Intake I Training Camp held earlier in the week.

“The training camp was a great experience for us and we have learned a lot most specially the Malaysian techniques,” said Alcala.

The Philippine Badminton Association (PBA), headed by president and former First Lady Amelita Ramos, was invited by the BAC as one of the beneficiaries in its Asia Development Program.