Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, a men’s doubles shuttler, is determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s unfortunate incident during his Hari Raya celebrations. Despite enjoying his time with family in Kuala Terengganu, he fell ill with food poisoning due to overeating.
Reflecting on the experience, the 21-year-old is eager to prevent history from repeating itself. “I’m looking forward to celebrating Raya with my family but I don’t want to get food poisoning like last year after overeating,” said Arif.
He acknowledged the mistake of overindulging after fasting and intense training, which led to a visit to the doctor and two days of medical leave. Arif emphasized the importance of being more cautious with his food intake this time around.
Despite the caution, Arif is not willing to miss out on his favorite dish, “ketupat sotong”. He expressed his excitement for the traditional dish, particularly due to the squid season in Terengganu.
After a successful campaign at the Spain Masters where he finished as runners-up with Yap Roy King, Arif is now looking forward to a well-deserved break.
Partnering with Roy King, Arif reached his first World Tour competition final, narrowly missing out on the title against Indonesia’s Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza in Madrid. The duo’s performance propelled them to No. 50 in the world rankings.
Arif is determined to continue climbing the ranks with Roy King, setting their sights on breaking into the top 30 this year. However, their focus is not solely on rankings but also on winning titles together.
Upon his return from the festive celebrations, Arif will gear up for their next challenge at the Thailand Open in Bangkok from May 14-19.
