US, Canada Biggest Threat to Malaysia at World Dodgeball Championships

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Malaysian dodgeball mixed team captain Sean Lim is expecting another titanic tussle against the United States (US) and Canada for the gold medal at the World Dodgeball Championships 2022 in Edmonton, Canada from Aug 28 - Sept 4. The 26-year-old, however, is confident they can match both the teams based on the maturity level of his teammates as they prepare to make their debut at the championships. “It’s always the US and Canada who will give us the sternest test. They have always been the biggest threats in dodgeball. Right now, my target is (for us) to reach the final but, obviously, if we want to return home with the gold medal we have to work extremely hard. “Our fitness level is at the optimum and we are ready for action as our strategy is all in place and, for now, we (the mixed team) are also injury-free,” he said when met at the handing over of the Jalur Gemilang to the national dodgeball contingent to the world meet here, Wednesday. Elaborating, Sean said that competing during the national month would surely give the players an added impetus to ensure the Jalur Gemilang will be hoisted majestically in Edmonton. Meanwhile, national men’s team skipper Aaron Christophe said they are all set after undergoing a thorough preparation, including studying their opponents’ playing styles online. “Through YouTube videos, we observed how our opponents play… it’s been a good progression for us since the teams were finalised as we’ve had two and a half months to prepare for the tournament. “The idea is we don’t want to have a fixed style of playing, instead we will adopt different strategies for different countries as each will have their own strengths and weaknesses,” he said. Women’s team captain Kelly Lau Kah La, who will be making her third appearance at the world meet after the 2018 and 2019 editions, believes that they must be mentally strong if they are to achieve success. She is confident her teammates can spring a surprise by wresting the gold medal they won in the 2017 edition. The national contingent will leave for Edmonton on Aug 22 aimed at making a clean sweep of all three gold medals in the three categories - men’s, women’s and mixed teams - at the championships. Malaysia emerged champions in the men’s and women’s categories in the 2017 edition in Toronto, Canada before the men’s team repeated that feat at the 2018 edition in Los Angeles, the United States. Both the national men’s and women’s teams then finished runners-up in the 2019 edition in Cancun, Mexico. -- BERNAMA