Ocean Grove’s Jacob Schueler has been selected in the Australian men’s team to contest the Thomas Cup, the world men’s teams event, in China next month.
Australia recently won the right to represent the Oceania region at both the 2024 Thomas Cup Finals and the Uber Cup Finals, the world women’s team competition.
The TotalEnergies Badminton World Federation Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2024 will be held in Chengdu, China, starting April 27.
The selection caps off a strong two years for Schueler, who won the Australian men’s singles badminton title in 2022.
Schueler will anchor the singles rubbers, as he did in the recent Oceania Badminton Championships hosted by Badminton Geelong.
It’s not that long ago that Badminton Geelong members recall a scrappy 12-year-old already making his mark in senior competitions.
The world 167 ranked Jacob Schueler says he is always happy to be home – especially when there’s a major championship on his doorstep.
“Being at home is a plus and a minus,” he said.
“It’s great to have the family and Geelong support. But the downside is I put extra pressure on myself, because I want to live up to people’s expectations and repay the support I’ve received over the years.”
It’s the mental side of competition that Schueler says is still a learning curve.
“I was generally happy with my performance at Oceania, although I was disappointed not to make the final,” he said.
“But it’s been a solid workout, and the wins in the men’s and women’s teams events was great.”
Schueler said he was looking forward to the challenge.
“Australia is not one of the top badminton nations, so we have to play like there’s nothing to lose,” he said.
“It’s a bit like a junior playing against seniors. You just have to embrace the
moment.”
