KUALA LUMPUR: Despite a strong field which includes Commonwealth Games silver medallist Ng Tze Yong, Kedah's Jacky Kok aims to strike gold in the Malaysia Games badminton competition starting next week at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Tze Yong and former Asian junior champion Leong Jun Hao loom as the favourites, but the fast-rising Jacky is eager to prove his worth.
Jacky, a member of the Malaysian squad that won the Asia Team Championships in February, said: "This Malaysia Games are going to be very challenging because of all the other top players in the fray.
"These top players are also my teammates, which makes it even more difficult because we all train together and know each other's game well.
"But I have been training hard and preparing myself for this. My target is to win a gold.
"Hopefully, I get to perform, that is very important," said Jacky, who also helped the national men's team to a silver at the Hanoi Sea Games in May.
The KL Malaysia Games will be Jacky's second after the 2018 edition. Penang's Tan Jia Wei won the men's singles gold then after defeating Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin in the final.