Zulfadli Zulkifli makes into the national squad for Axiata Cup – Badminton news
World junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli is over the moon as Badminton Association of Malaysia has officially announced his name in national squad for Axiata Cup along with special squad for the 2016 Olympics and the Thomas Cup finals.
The young Malaysian has been also invited for joint training with the seniors in national training camp for Thomas Cup finals, set to be held in China from May 20-27.
Zulfadli, who bagged the honours of the Asian and the World Junior champion for country last year, could not cement his position in the national squad for the Thomas Cup preliminaries in Macau. Now when BAM has made a decision to not overlook him again,
he was jubilant at his good fortune.
He said, “I am glad BAM have recognised my achievements in winning the Asian and world junior titles ... I am thrilled to bits.”
The young and pulsating Zulfadli has been part of central training sessions before the Asian and World junior championships last year and those sessions equipped him so well that he fetched the best for his country in the esteemed junior events.
Zulfadli is now striving to make his mark in the senior category. He currently is placed at 130th spot in world rankings and he believes that the training with the veterans will really help him to elevate his badminton skills.
He said, “I am also looking forward to training with the rest for the Thomas Cup Finals. It will be a priceless learning curve for me. The most important thing is that I get a chance to gain as much experience as possible in my transition year from a junior
to a senior player.”
Zulfadli plays for Kuala Lumpur Racket Club (KLRC) and he needed permission from his club and sponsors to represent the country. He is confident that all these issues will be resolved properly.
He said, “I have to safeguard the interest of my sponsors. All this can be discussed and solved amicably.”
The BAM has officially requested KLRC to release the Malaysian lad for the national squad and club’s president Datuk Seri Andrew Kam and his father Zulkifli Sidek gave him a green light.
The Junior World champion, who turned 19 this month, is the biggest hope to ensure Malaysia’s supremacy in international badminton arena after World Number one Lee Chong Wei and BAM has focused to nurture the young talent by giving them a chance in prestigious
team events like Axiata Cup.
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