Trust is the thrust you need

Koo Kien Keat

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Olympian Koo Kien Keat regards trust as the key ingredient in becoming a top class men’s doubles ace.

He believes once the players don’t look in the same direction and fight for each other, it’s time for them to go separate ways and start a new chapter in their career.

This was the advice of Kien Keat, who himself had different partners before forming a successful partnership with Tan Boon Heong in 2006, to Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani who have decided to go separate ways.

Sze Fei-Izzuddin, both 25, announced their decision to split last week after being a pair since 2016.

“If you are a great champion, it doesn’t matter who you partner. It’s about yourself and what you want to achieve in your career,” said Kien Keat.

“If they don’t have the trust in each other, it calls for splitting. The best is not to blow this situation out of proportion.

“Sze Fei-Izzuddin have not won any major tournaments and haven’t established themselves as a top pair yet.

“You stay with your partner if you have confidence. If not, your just have to accept it and move on to the next chapter of your badminton career.

“There is nothing to be sad about and they just have to do what they need to do. Furthermore, they are still young and have a long way to go.”

Kien Keat himself partnered Ong Son Hock during his junior days and as a national back-up player but later was combined with Chan Chong Ming.

Despite Kien Keat-Chong Ming’s success of winning the 2006 Malaysian Open and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Rexy Mainaky, who was the national doubles head coach then, decided to split the pair.

Kien Keat’s combination with Tan Boon Heong was an instant success as they went on to win the Asian Games gold in Doha in 2006 and went on to win about 20 international titles and were also ranked world No. 1 on several occasions.

They were also runners-up in the 2010 World Championships.

Rexy, now the doubles coaching director, has yet to determine the partners for Sze Fei and Izzuddin but the decision to split could just become a blessing in disguise for the duo.

Their only title on the BWF (Badminton World Federation) world tour is the German Open and they should take a positive approach to achieve better results with their new partners soon.