KUALA LUMPUR: It has taken ages for men singles shuttlers Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng to qualify for their first World Championships which will be held in Guangzhou from Aug 5-11.
And the excited duo are excited with their long-awaited breakthroughs, the duo are now determined to make a lasting impression in their debut.
They will join their more illustrious team-mate – top seed and world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, the only Malaysian with the best chancein the world meet, who has the best chance to nail the country’s first world title – at the world meet.in his seventh attempt.
The 26-year-old Daren will be happy to make the top eight but in order for that to happen, he has to overcome second seed Chen Long of China. He takes on Russian Vladimir Malkov in the first round and probably Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the second.
“I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to feature in the World Championship but I am glad that I will be finally joining Chong Wei. I did not make it in the last edition (2011 in Wembley) because my ranking was really low,” said the current world No. 17 Daren.
“Chen Long is in my quarter and it will be great if I can set up a meeting against him in the third round. However, I cannot underestimate Sony. He has done well in World Championships (Sony reached the final in the 2007 edition).”
Daren, who gave the thumbs-up to the facilities in Hong Kong after their first day of training yesterday, said that it was important to maintain his form and condition over the next 10 days.
“I have put a lot of hard work before arriving here in Hong Kong. I have pushed myself hard during the physical training over the last one and half months. My foot injury is no longer troubling me and that is good,” he said.
“It is important that I maintain my form here as I want my first World Championships to be a memorable one.”
The 26-year-old Wei Feng is also excited although he has a more challenging route.
He has been drawn to meet England’s Rajiv Ouseph in the opening round. If he wins, he may meet Russian Dmytro Zavadsky in the second round. If he moves further, he may face either four-time world champion Lin Dan of China or Japan’s Kenichi Tago.
“It is a tricky draw and but I am hoping to get past the first two rounds. I have not played against Rajiv for almost 10 years and so it would be quite a challenge. If I make it, I may meet Lin Dan or Tago and I know it will not be easy,” said Wei Feng.
“The only satisfaction that I have right now is of my improved physical condition. For the first time, I was able to follow a similar weight training used for Chong Wei. Hopefully, this will help me to give a solid showing in Guangzhou.”
Meanwhile, the team led by Chong Wei arrived in Hong Kong without any hiccups and they went straight for their first session of training and enjoyed the facilities at the Hong Kong’s national badminton centre. They will leave for Guangzhou on Aug 3.
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