Javen eyes singles boost after mixed doubles gold at SEA meet

KUALA LUMPUR: Javen Choong hopes his mixed doubles gold medal at the Southeast Asia Table Tennis Championships will inspire him to strive for more in the men's singles competition the following day. Javen and Karen Lyne Dick emerged victorious over Singapore's Koen Pang Yew En-Ser Lin Qian with scores of 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 15-13 in the final.

The win came as a timely morale booster for Javen, who admitted to feeling nervous and lacking confidence prior to the tournament. He expressed his optimism, stating, "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."

The Malaysian pair had to demonstrate immense composure during a tense fourth set, as they narrowly secured a 2-1 lead before the game concluded. Javen acknowledged that their hands were tightly clenched towards the end of the match. Reflecting on the team event, Javen admitted that Malaysia had fallen short in both the team and men's doubles categories, but vowed to maintain their current form and aim for at least two individual gold medals.

He explained, "We missed out in the doubles and team events, but we will try to maintain our form and target at least two golds." Additionally, Javen noted that yesterday's loss in the men's doubles provided him with valuable insights that he intends to apply towards improving his performance in the singles event.