PETALING JAYA: It started as a pastime to lose weight, but now junior shuttler Lim En Yu finds herself through to the girls’ Under-13 round of 32 at the Lee Chong Wei (LCW) Cup Grand Finals.

Amidst patriotic anthems such as ‘Saya Anak Malaysia’ and the Merdeka Spirit permeating the atmosphere, the Kedah youngster beat Vanessa Loke Tin Qing, 15-8, 15-4, in the round of 64 match in Stadium Juara, Bukit Kiara on Monday (Aug 31).

Lim En Yu in action.

“At first, I played because I was a little chubby,” said En Yu.

“I trained once a week, then slowly I started enjoying it and began training more often.”

En Yu’s dedication has undoubtedly borne fruit, as she now boasts multiple Under-12 Junior Elite Tour titles, with her most recent triumph being her advancement to the finals of the Philippines Junior.

Although she has achieved success in singles, En Yu, who is under the guidance of national doubles star Pearly Tan’s father, Tan Seng Hoe, harbours aspirations of making her mark in the doubles category as well.

“I like doubles more, but my coach wants me to develop my singles first,” she said.

Through the LCW Cup, En Yu will have the opportunity to demonstrate her doubles prowess alongside Perak's Loh Hui Yee.

En Yu also expressed her aspiration to represent the nation at the Olympics in both singles and doubles.

Nur Izz Danish Rosni Zamuddin Shah

Meanwhile, the highlight from the boys’ under-17 category came as Nur Izz Danish Rosni Zamuddin Shah defeated Lim Hong Rui 15-8, 18-16.

The 16-year-old Izz is now awaiting his chance to play against tougher opposition at the LCW Cup.

“When I play against stronger players, I gain experience,” he said.

“I’ll go all out. Win or lose comes later — the important thing is that I give everything.”

The Sabahan also noted how the tournament felt very “international” with scoreboards and livestreams.

“I’ve played overseas before, but I have never experienced anything like this.”