Mhd Amin clinches gold at 2023 APG

PHNOM PENH - National para singles shuttler Mhd Amin Burhanuddin today created an upset when he defeated Indonesian Hikmat Ramdani who is ranked seventh in the world in the final of SL4-physical disability badminton at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games (APG) today.

The player ranked 20th in the world had to deploy all his resources to beat the Indonesian 21-18, 9-21 and 21-14.

The winner of the Bahrain Para Badminton International 2023 Tournament who was drawn as an unseeded player went through a 44-minute clash at the Badminton Hall, Morodok Techo National Stadium to deliver gold to Malaysia.

"I am very grateful to God for giving me the strength to be able to enter the final today and win gold for the first time at APG.

"However, I actually feel clumsy because compared to Hikmat, I am just an ordinary person and have only just dabbled in the world of badminton. I was only absorbed in the programme last year during the preparations for Solo," he told reporters here today.

Mhd Amin, 31, however, struggled in the first and second sets to find the pace of the game when the strong wind conditions made it difficult for him to retrieve the opponent's shots.

Realising that the 22-year-old competitor has attacking power, Samidiono Slamet's charge changed his strategy which proved crucial to help him win today's match.

"Hikmat is a ferocious player while I tried to find my rhythm, so I had to let the second set go, but once I went in for the deciding set, I was determined to go all out to demolish him. I spared no energy for the victory of Malaysia.

"After this, I hope the National Sports Council will send me to participate in more tournaments especially when I am the only one in this category (SL4)," he said.

The success meant a lot to the Labuan-born as he managed to upgrade the bronze medal he won in the last edition in Solo, Indonesia. - BERNAMA