Hwa Chong navigate major injury blow to win back-to-back A Div girls' badminton titles
SINGAPORE – When Joelle Chee injured herself in training before the National School Games A Division girls' badminton semi-finals on May 6, a sense of dismay swept through Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).
The school's hopes of retaining their title suddenly appeared in peril, given her status as a national team player who had won the BWF Iberdrola Spanish Junior Open in March.
The 18-year-old recalled: 'I did a jump smash and when I pushed off (the ground), I tore my heel muscle. I'll be in a cast for one to two months.'
Despite the setback, Hwa Chong rallied and went on to beat Nanyang Junior College 5-0 in the semi-finals.
And on May 8, her teammates again rose to the occasion by defeating Eunoia Junior College (EJC) 3-2 in the final at Choa Chu Kang Sports Centre to seal back-to-back titles.
Sonia Pho got Hwa Chong off to a bright start, beating Chloe Jng 22-20, 21-17 before the pair of Li Zheng Yan and Qiu Yuxi defeated Eleanor Chan and Nikita Pratap 21-13, 24-22 to extend their lead.
However, EJC narrowed the deficit through second singles Amanda Boh, who downed Chang Hui Nee 21-8, 21-17 to up the stakes.
And in the second doubles match, EJC were on a roll, as Elisabeth Kam and Louanne Tan took the opening set against Khloe Lim and Michelle Zan.
But national player Michelle raised her game in timely fashion to carve out a 19-21, 21-13, 21-16 comeback victory and help Hwa Chong retain their maiden title from 2024.
Michelle Zan (left) and Khloe Lim (right) celebrating after winning their second doubles match.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
Michelle, 18, knew she had to step up after they lost the first set.
'They (EJC) were basically just hitting to my partner so I had to take the initiative, and use my experience from the national team to guide my partner, who is one year younger,' she said.
Captain Yuxi, 18, was very proud to lead Hwa Chong to their second title in as many years. 'Our team is full of very strong players. Although our line-up wasn't the best today, we still pulled through.'
Joelle, who watched her team from the sidelines, added: 'I think they managed to cope very well and I'm very proud of them as they didn't make (my injury) affect them. Even without me, they're still as strong.'
Joelle Chee (wearing ankle brace) of Hwa Chong Institution could not be involved in the final but was happy to see her team attain victory.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
In the inconsequential last match, EJC's Jessie Lua overcame Meiya Bayraktar 21-19, 21-16 to narrow the overall score to 3-2 in what was a first A Div girls' final for the school.
EJC Vice-captain Elisabeth Kam said: 'I feel that today we definitely exceeded our expectations. Losing 3-2 shows our efforts and that all our extra training and the hard work that we've put in has made us come this far.'
'After our semi-finals, a few of us got minor injuries here and there from overwork,' said Elisabeth, 18, who added that she and partner Louanne were not in 'good condition' but they did not give up.
Elisabeth Kam (behind, in blue) admitted fatigue played a factor in their defeat but did not have any regrets over the result.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
Meanwhile, in the A Div boys' decider which took place on the adjacent court, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) came from 2-0 down to defeat Raffles Institution 3-2 in dramatic fashion, putting an end to their five-year final losing streak against the same opponents.
ACS (I) captain Wong Zee Hern, who won the third match to spark the fightback, said: 'I felt that I gave my team a big motivational push to keep fighting for the next two matches.'
'This means a lot to me. This is my last NSG and as captain I feel really happy. We've been getting silver medals for the past five years so I'm really happy to be able to win my first-ever gold medal,' added the 18-year-old.
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