KUALA LUMPUR: Javen Choong hopes his mixed doubles gold medal at the Southeast Asia Table Tennis Championships will give him the confidence to make a stronger push in the men’s singles tomorrow.
Javen and Karen Lyne Dick defeated Singapore’s Koen Pang Yew En-Ser Lin Qian 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 15-13 in the final today.
The victory was a timely boost for Javen, who said he had been nervous and lacked confidence before the tournament.
“Winning this gold boosts my confidence. Before the tournament, I was still not very confident and felt nervous. After this, I think I can play with more confidence,” said Javen.
The Malaysian pair had to hold their nerve in a tight fourth set after taking a 2-1 lead, with Javen saying they became tense as they closed in on victory.
“I think the first three sets were okay, but in the last set, when we were close to winning, we became a bit nervous and our hands were tight. Overall, I would say our performance was average,” he said.
Javen, who won four gold medals at the previous Asean competition, is now targeting at least two titles this time after Malaysia missed out in the team and men’s doubles events.
“This time, we missed out in the doubles and team events, but we will try to maintain our form and target at least two golds,” he said.
He added that yesterday’s men’s doubles defeat also provided valuable lessons for his singles campaign.
“We lost in the men’s doubles yesterday, but that was a good lesson for me, and I will try to improve in the singles.”