Niagara Christian Collegiate’s Matthew Cheung successfully defended his high school boys singles crown Thursday at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association senior badminton championships at Heritage Christian.

Cheung, who came to school in Fort Erie three years ago from Hong Kong, will be looking to improve on last year’s performance when he heads to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships May 11-13 in Hope. In 2022, the Grade 12 student finished 13th out of 40 competitors, making the semifinals of the B Flight.

Cheung started playing badminton in Hong Kong when he was in Grade 5 and by Grade 8, he was training four times a week, working on cardio, drills, fundamentals, skills and strategy. All that came to a halt when he arrived in Canada.

“My school is in Fort Erie and there was no club where I could train at.”

That didn’t make him happy.

“I miss the training because I cannot improve. I have been stuck at this stage since Grade 10.”

Cheung finds the culture of badminton in Canada much different when compared to his homeland.

“In Hong Kong, it is pretty popular and it is very difficult to book a court,” he said, with a smile. “You have to fight with each other to get a court.”

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