National squash player Harith eyes SEA Games after four medals in SEA Cup
KUCHING (July 30): National squash player Harith Danial Jefri made a strong impression at the 9th SEA Cup held at Vajiravudh College in Bangkok, Thailand from July 21–26.
The Sarawakian clinched two silver and two bronze medals in his debut appearance at the tournament.
The 19-year-old student of UWE University Bristol, United Kingdom earned his first silver in the Under-21 mixed jumbo doubles with Anrie Goh after losing 1-2 to Jonathan Reyes and Aerra Mae Relano of the Philippines in the final.
Harith's second silver came in the men's singles final when he lost 0-3 to fellow Malaysian Duncan Lee from Sabah. The Miri-born player was nursing an injury but showed grit to play on.
Harith also paired with Muhd Raziq Putra Mohd Fakhur in a losing cause 0-2 to the Filipino combination of Christopher Buraga and Jonathan Ryes in the men's jumbo doubles semis to receive a bronze.
His second bronze was earned in the Mixed Team event when Malaysia lost 1-2 again to the Philippines in the semi-finals.
Speaking to The Borneo Post via WhatsApp, Harith was satisfied with his performance and looking forward to the near future.
'This was my first SEA Cup. Playing in the Jumbo Doubles U21 event was a significant milestone in my development. It was a great opportunity to test myself and fine-tune my game ahead of the SEA Games later this year.'
'I gave everything I had in both the doubles and individual events. Unfortunately, I sustained an injury during the tournament which forced me to sit out the Mixed Team final. That was tough, but this setback won't stop me,' he said.
'My eyes are firmly on the SEA Games (also to be held in Thailand in Dec). I'm committed to healing, training hard and giving my best for the country,' he pledged. Harith Danial Jefri squash
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