Watch: UAE Under-19 badminton team gear up for World Junior Championships
Eight-member squad are in Group D along with Denmark and New Zealand in China event
The UAE Under-19 badminton team had a two-week high-performance training camp at Prime Sports Academy in Qusais to prepare for the World Junior Championships to be held in Nanchang, China from September 30-October 13. The eight-members who are bound for China were accompanied by another seven promising junior players during the camp under the Danish coach Michael Nobaek. UAE players will be taking part in the mixed team championships and the individual championships with Bharath Latheesh leading the challenge.
The 17-year-old Bharath currently holds the fifth position in the World Junior Rankings after becoming the top player in the world in February this year. The other members of the UAE team are Dev Vishnu, Dhiren Ayyappan, Dev Ayyappan, Mysha Omer Khan, Taabia Khan, Sakshi Prakash Kurbkhelgi and Taralaxmi Karthikeyan and will be competing in boys’ singles and doubles, girls’ singles and doubles and mixed doubles.
The UAE are ranked seventh in tournament, ahead of India in the eighth spot and Korea in ninth position. UAE are in Group D along with four other countries — Denmark, New Zealand, Cook Islands and Trinidad and Tobago — in the group stages of the tournament that sees the participation of 40 countries. China tops the seedings with Thailand in second spot.
The camp also saw the participation of nine other promising junior players — Riyan Malhan, Adithya Kiran, Nathan Mathew, Steve Mathew, Zeebacker, Madhumitha Sundarapandian, Zainaba Reem Siraj and Emiratis Abdul Aziz Yahya and Ghadeer.