Saturday, 08 August 2009
By RAJES PAUL
The bulk of the Malaysian shuttlers left for the World Championships in Hyderabad, India, yesterday dreaming of achieving an all-time high in the world series.
Malaysia have never won more than two medals in a world meet and have never bagged the gold medal since the tournament’s inception in 1977.
This time, on paper at least, Malaysia should make it to three finals if men’s singles top seed Lee Chong Wei, men’s doubles second seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and women’s doubles top seeds Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty can live up to their billing.
Judging by Chong Wei’s cool and confident approach in training over the last few days, the world No. 1 looks a sure bet for a medal – which many are hoping will be a gold.
The 27-year-old Chong Wei is determined to come good in his third world outing.
At the last world meet, Chong Wei was the top seed but he went down to Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the third round.
“I have learnt from my mistakes. It is not easy going into the world meet as a top seed.
“But I have learnt to handle the pressure that comes with it,” said Chong Wei, who is in the same half as Vietnamese Nguyen Tien Minh, Sony and Olympic champion Lin Dan.
“It is all about mental strength. I promise to give my best. And I think the team’s also in high spirits and everyone has worked hard.”
Barring any upsets, Chong Wei is expected to meet his arch rival Lin Dan in the semi-finals.
National doubles chief coach Rexy Mainaky agreed that Kien Keat-Boon Heong and fourth seeds Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif should go far based on their world rankings and the absence of top seeds and defending champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan.
But Rexy is afraid that other factors could spoil their chances.
“I am confident that the men’s doubles can get it right at the world meet if they can maintain the commitment shown in training,” said Rexy.
“The coaches have advised the players to take care of their health, especially with the A (H1N1) flu scare going around. They have been told to eat proper food. It is good that we have two cooks with the team. The players have also been advised to drink lots of water.”
Eei Hui, meanwhile, said that her world No. 1 ranking with Pei Tty did not reflect their true strength – not yet.
“We still have a big fight in our hands in our bid to win a medal at the world meet. Our draw is not as easy as it seems,” said Eei Hui, who has reached the quarter-finals with Pei Tty in the last three world meets.
“Winning a medal would be nice but we aim to take it one match at a time.” Yesterday, before leaving for Hyderabad, the players were treated to a dinner at the Kuala Lumpur International Aiport (KLIA) by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
Courtesy of The Star
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