Adam (left) and Alfred posing with their father Kenny Lau at the end of the Sukma XVII Selection tournament at SBA Hall last Sunday.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Badminton Association are sending Adam Lau Yu Ming and his twin brother Alfred Lau Yu Leong for the national back-up selection tournament at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur from Jan 20-24.
Adam and Alfred are the only two shuttlers from Sarawak who will be pitting their skills against national back-up players in the selection.
They were picked by SBA based on their good record in the state and Sabah-Sarawak tournaments.
Both 19 years old, the Lau brothers were U-16 doubles champion in 2011, U-18 doubles champion in the National Junior Circuit Sarawak Selection 2013, U-18 doubles champion in National Junior Circuit Sabah-Sarawak tournament 2013 and winners of the doubles title at the recent Sukma XVII Selection tournament at SBA Hall.
Alfred has also won the singles title in the National Junior Circuit Sarawak Selection 2013 and Sukma XVII Selection tournament while Adam was runner-up in both events.
They will also be part of the state’s Sukma XVII badminton team.
“This is a very good opportunity for the two brothers to play against better players from the national back-up squad and improve their playing experience and skills,” said their father Kenny Lau who has been the pillar of support in their badminton career.
“It is also a very good exposure for them,” he said, adding that the twins need to play more local and international matches.
“I would like to thank SBA for grooming them and giving them the chance to play in the selection tournament,” he said.
The Lau siblings received a big boost in their career when they signed a two-year sponsorship contract with Maxx Sports Sdn Bhd from Muar, Johor early this year.
Under the contract, Adam and Alfred will get sports equipment such as rackets, jerseys and shoes with training and traveling allowance.
Apart from this, they get to play in two local tournaments – the Sabah Open from May 5-7 and Perak Open and three
international tournaments namely the Thailand Series, Indonesia Series and the Malaysia Challenger this year.