PETALING JAYA: Independent coach Rosman Razak is staying positive about Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi’s chances of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite the tough task awaiting them.
World No. 12 Yew Sin-Ee Yi face a race against time to make the cut for the Olympics as they need to break into the top eight in the men’s doubles rankings before the qualifying period ends next April.
The pair’s mission has been made more difficult after they were handed tough draws in both their opening two tournaments of the year in the Malaysian Open (Jan 9-14) in Bukit Jalil and Indian Open (Jan 16-21) in New Delhi.
In the home event, Yew Sin-Ee Yi have a tricky opening round match against Taiwan’s world No. 23 Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han and if they win, they may meet the winners of the match between Denmark’s world championships silver medallists Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Indonesia’s world No. 11 Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin.
In India, Yew Sin-Ee Yi need to go up against Japan’s 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi as early as in the first round.
Early exits in both the competitions will leave the former with a mountain to climb in their bid to join world No. 4 national pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in Paris.
“We need to stay positive as the Olympic qualification is not over yet,” said Rosman.
“The draw is quite tough for Yew Sin-Ee Yi in the Malaysian Open.
“Not just this tournament but the next 10 competitions will be very important for them to fight for a spot in the Olympics.
“While it’s difficult for them, their chances are still there.”
Rosman, who has been coaching Yew Sin-Ee Yi for a year after taking over from Chin Eei Hui in January, has mixed feelings about the pair’s overall performance this year.
The duo started the year in eighth spot in the world rankings but slipped down to their current position after an inconsistent showing towards the second half of the year.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi only reached the semi-finals twice in individual tournaments (Taiwan Open in June and Japan Masters last month) since finishing runners-up in the Asian Championships in April.
“Their performances this year have been up and down,” said Rosman.
“There were matches that they did well in and others that they did not. They have also been dealing with injury issues especially Ee Yi which have not helped their cause.
“So, my hope is that they stay injury-free next year. I want them to leave behind the negatives this year and look forward to a better year in 2024.”
On Yew Sin-Ee Yi’s preparations for the Malaysian tourney, Rosman said: “So far, everything is going well.
“They are back in training after a four-day break. These four weeks in between tournaments are crucial as there won’t be much time for training next year as the competitions will mostly be back-to-back.”
