Bermuda’s junior badminton stars have finished their campaign at the Victor Ontario Junior C #7 tournament on a high, with Joseph Lau securing a hard-fought bronze medal on a testing final day in Ottawa.
While the jump to doubles and mixed doubles competition at Carleton University proved to be a steep learning curve against some of Canada’s elite young pairings, the island’s trio demonstrated the grit that has become a hallmark of the national junior program.
In the Boy’s Under-19 Doubles, Joseph Lau and Aaron Lee faced a clinical local field. Despite showing resilience across multiple rounds, the pair suffered a string of straight-set defeats to top-seeded opponents including Sun and Wu, and the pairing of Chan and Yuan. The high-intensity schedule continued as they fell to the duos of Ng/Tang and Gadza/Te, but the experience against North American opposition provided invaluable tactical lessons for the young Bermudians.
The highlight of the weekend arrived in the Under-19 Mixed Doubles, where Joseph Lau teamed up with Canadian partner Swara Pawar. After a challenging start that saw them drop their opening two rounds, the pair found their rhythm just in time for a podium push.
In a bronze-medal showdown that kept the crowd on edge, Lau and Pawar displayed immense composure to overcome Eric Tan and Sophia Kan in a three-set thriller. After claiming the first set 21-17 and dropping the second by the same score, the cross-border pairing dominated the decider 21-15 to secure the victory and a place on the podium.
For thirteen-year-old JitHom Liew in the Under-15 division, the second day was a similarly rigorous test. Navigating the consolation rounds, Liew was narrowly edged out by Daniel Paul in a 21-15, 21-9 battle.
Under the guidance of coach Emma Moran-Lee, the trio will now carry these experiences back to Bermuda. While the scorelines often favored the Ontario-based players, the BFA’s strategy of exposing youth talent to international standard competition remains a key pillar of their development as they prepare for the next leg of the regional circuit.
