BIRMINGHAM, Aug 8 — National table tennis mixed doubles pair Javen Choong-Karen Lyne’s hopes of winning the gold medal were dashed when they fell at the final hurdle of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games here yesterday.
The Malaysian lost 3-1 to India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta-Sreeja Akula at the National Exhibition Centre here.
Javen-Karen went down 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11.
Although they have to be contented with silver, the national mixed doubles pair can still stand tall because Malaysian paddlers have never won any medals in mixed doubles at the Commonwealth Games.
Singapore’s Clarence Chew Zhe Yu-Zeng Jian took bronze after defeating Australia’s Nicholas Lum-Jee Minhyung 11-8, 11-6, 7-11, 14-12.
The unseeded Malaysian pair had earlier caused a sensation en route to qualifying for the final.
They first stunned top seeds Sathiyan Gnanasekaran-Manika Batra of India in the quarter-finals before ousting third seeds Clarence-Zeng Jian in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Karen told reporters that she did not expect to bag two silver medals at Birmingham 2022, having won her first in the women’s team event.
“My achievement in winning two silver medals (here) is like a dream. We had a tough time preparing for the Games but our success here proves that it’s all been worthwhile,” she said.
Javen, meanwhile, said the national table tennis team’s achievement at Birmingham 2022 would open the eyes of various parties to the fact that the sport has the capability to go even further on the international stage.
“Previously, no one gave table tennis a second look because we did not achieve much but now, with our latest achievement, more parties will want to support the sport,” he said.
— Bernama
