Union City, California Nov 22, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - The 2024 BWF World Junior Championships for the Suhandinata Cup took place from September 30 to October 5 in Nanchang, China, at the Nanchang International Sports Centre. Among the 10 players representing Team USA, five hailed from the Elite Badminton Center (EBC) in Union City, California: Weslie Chen, Nicole Krawczyk, Chloe Ho, Veronica Yang, and Kyle Wang. Adding to this honor, Coach Charles from EBC was part of the USA coaching team.
The relay scoring system, implemented at the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships 2024, brought thrilling moments for Team USA. In Group H, USA narrowly edged out the Philippines 110-108 despite trailing for most of the tie. The standout player was Ella Lin, who entered the penultimate match with USA down by 17 points (71-88). Lin’s steady and opportunistic play closed the gap, as she won 28 of the next 38 points to hand USA a narrow 99-98 lead, setting the stage for the final women’s doubles match. Veronica Yang and Chloe Ho secured the tie for the USA in a nervy decider, overcoming service errors and unsteady shots to prevail in the end.
The drama continued the next day against second-seeded Thailand. USA again faced a deficit heading into the penultimate match. Ella Lin once more turned the tide, outplaying her opponent 14-6 to give men’s doubles pair Weslie Chen and Kyle Wang a 99-94 lead heading into the final match. Remaining composed under pressure, Chen and Wang sealed the victory at 110-107, propelling USA to the quarterfinals.
At the end of the group stage, USA emerged victorious in all their matches, defeating the Philippines (110-108), Thailand (110-107), Portugal (110-69), and Vietnam (110-85) to top Group H. In the playoffs, USA continued their strong performance, defeating powerhouse Denmark to secure an impressive seventh-place finish. The decisive match once again featured a comeback, with Chloe Ho and Ella Lin overturning a 92-99 deficit to win 110-104.
With a final ranking of No. 7 at the 2024 BWF World Mixed Team Championships, Team USA - including five players from EBC (Union City) - secured an additional quota spot in each event for the 2025 BWF World Junior Championships. This accomplishment not only highlights the strength of Team USA but also the vital contributions of EBC players in achieving this milestone.
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