Kasirye humbled to be facing idol Chong Lee
Scaling the heights. Kasirye beat Trinidad & Tobago’s Nicholas Bonkowsky yesterday to get to the round of 16 where he will play against his childhood idol. PHOTO BY MARK NAMANYA
What you need to know:
- Badminton. The Ugandan teenager will live his dream when he lines up against his childhood idol and role model Chong Lee of Malaysia today at Oxenford Studios in Australia.
GOLD COAST. Brian Kasirye is struggling to contain his emotions after learning that his opponent in today’s round of 16 is his idol Chong Wei Lee.
Kasirye is shouldering Uganda’s hopes after the country’s top seed Edwin Ekiring was eliminated by England’s Rajiv Ouseph 2-0, the European champion.
Unbelievable moment
“I can’t believe it,” Kasirye said yesterday. “This is a guy I grew up watching and now, I am here going to play him. It is unbelievable. I have always viewed his you tube clips to better my game.”
The 35-year-old Malaysian veteran, says Kasirye, is one he hopes to learn from after the game irrespective of today’s result.
“When the game is over, I will request to sit him down with his coach and team to learn how to improve my game in all aspects.”
Kasirye, who beat Trinidad & Tobago’s Nicholas Bonkowsky 2-1 yesterday to get to the round of 16, however says he won’t be tense or nervous.
“I have nothing to lose against Chong and will just get on court and enjoy myself,” the 17-year-old remarked.
“The Commonwealth Games are a learning experience for me and I will use them to develop my skills.”
