WCTC Team BC alum Wenjun Ouyang (Ace), fresh off his gold medal wins at the BC Provincials in Boys’ Singles and Boys’ Doubles, will compete in both categories in Winnipeg. His doubles parter, fellow Team BC teammate and Provincial Boys’ Doubles Champion Victor Huang (ClearOne), will compete in all three categories in an attempt to win a triple crown.
BC’s U15 Girls’ Singles Champion Stephenie Ho (Ace) will likewise compete in all three categories in the Nationals, and after her stellar performance at the Provincials last week, the WCTC Team BC alum stands a good chance of winning a triple crown as well. Annie Chow (ClearOne), who took gold in U15 Mixed Doubles and also competed for Team BC at the Western Canadian Team Championships, will fight for the national title in U15 Girls’ Singles, U15 Girls’ Doubles, and U17 Mixed Doubles as well. Rounding out the healthy crop of female Provincial Champions at the Nationals, BC’s new U15 Girls’ Doubles Champions and WCTC alumni Juliet Emlyn (HCC) and Valeena Van Heukelom (VRC) will join their fellow athletes in Winnipeg to show the rest of Canada just how strong BC’s U15 age group is.
After taking gold in U17 Boys’ Singles at the BC Provincials, Kevin Luo (Ace) set his sights on obtaining a national title in Boys’ Singles and Doubles. Adrian Fan (ClearOne) and WCTC alum Daryl Yang (SSDCA), the Provincial Champions in U17 Boys’ Doubles, will also test the skill and ability of their competitors in Winnipeg as they drive toward a podium finish.
Two-time Provincial gold medalist Wendy Zhang (ClearOne), who took the title in U17 Girls’ Singles and U17 Girls’ Doubles, will be a force on the courts at Nationals. Her doubles partner Michelle Yeung (Ace), an alumni of the WCTC Team BC program who also took gold in U17 Mixed Doubles at the Provincials, will ply her skills to snag a National title in Winnipeg as well.
While BC’s U19 Boys’ Singles Champion Joshua Liu (St. John’s) will not be competing at the nationals, his Canada Winter Games Team BC teammate James Ho (Ace) will. Ho, who took silver in U19 Boys’ Singles and gold in U19 Mixed Doubles at the Provincial Championships, will face his Canada Winter Games rivals at the Nationals in Winnipeg. Ontario’s Jason Ho-Shue, who took gold at the Games, as well as Manitoba’s Kevin Barkman, whom Ho defeated to take bronze, will be there to challenge Ho on his quest for a national title. Jack Lin (Ace) and Simon Cheng (VRC), who took the U19 Boys’ Doubles title with an explosive performance at last week’s Provincials, will also be on hand to help BC dominate the podium in the U19 age group.
Qingzi Ouyang (Ace), who took gold in U19 Girls’ Singles and Open Women’s Singles at the Provincials, has an excellent chance of securing at least one gold medal at the Nationals. Ouyang placed fourth overall in Women’s Singles when she competed with Team BC at the Canada Winter Games, and prior to that won two triple crowns at Elite Series events where she faced the same athletes she will compete against in Winnipeg. Her doubles partner Kylie Cheng (Ace), who also played for Team BC at the Canada Winter Games, has a real shot at a podium finish at the Nationals too. Both of these athletes will be a treat to watch, and crowds at the Duckworth Centre can expect an electrifying performance from both.
Badminton BC wishes these athletes, along with the rest of the BC contingent, the best of luck at the 2015 Yonex U23 Junior and Senior Nationals in Winnipeg. We look forward to seeing our Province continue to produce excellent results on the national stage. Tune in to www.badmintonbc.com for our daily recaps of the action.